Another serious bicycle accident on local roads has claimed a life — a very young life.
According to Southampton Town police, an 11-year-old boy was struck by a pickup truck and killed last Thursday on Town Line Road, south of Montauk Highway in Sagaponack, at 5:28 p.m. Along with ambulance companies from Bridgehampton and East Hampton, several patrol officers, and a Bridgehampton Fire Department unit, the boy’s parents were at the scene of the accident.
“The preliminary investigation revealed the male driver of a 2022 Ford Ranger was backing up from a work site when he struck the child riding his bicycle on Town Line Road,” police said.
The driver of the pickup truck, Jhony Nieto, 42, of East Hampton, stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, police said. This week, his attorney, Colin Astarita, said Mr. Nieto was at Southampton Town police headquarters in Hampton Bays “for 11 or 12 hours,” giving a blood sample and answering questions. Mr. Astarita said that Mr. Nieto had neither alcohol nor drugs in his blood, and that there will not be any criminal charges.
“He was not at fault in any way,” Mr. Astarita said on Tuesday. “He has taken a leave of absence from his construction job and is speaking to a counselor” to help him cope.
Mr. Nieto “is very upset — he’s absolutely devastated,” Mr. Astarita continued, saying that “it’s a life-changing event.” It is even more so, he said, for the boy’s family, whom police have not identified for reasons of privacy.
The family has residences in Sagaponack and New York City.
The boy may have been riding his bike against traffic on Town Line Road when the accident occurred, Mr. Astarita said. Typical roadside safety rules say that pedestrians are to walk against traffic, while those riding bicycles are to ride with the flow of traffic.
The Southampton Town detectives did not respond to two calls and an email seeking comment.
Last Thursday’s accident was the second fatality involving a bicyclist within five days. On Sunday, July 3, a 70-year-old surgeon was killed on the Napeague stretch of Montauk Highway when he entered the eastbound lane from the shoulder of the road and was struck by a ride-share driver, also heading east.