This is some damn tragic news... Last weekend in New York, a Brooklyn teen was struck and killed by a car while riding her bike. According to police, she was wearing headphones, not wearing a helmet, and was pedaling against the light: Tragic teen struck and killed was biking against light: cops.16-year-old Aileen Chen, a student at Stuyvesant High School, was riding alone Saturday evening when she was rammed by a BMW at 62nd Street and 21st Avenue in Bensonhurst. Friends and loved ones say she was a talented student with a bright future ahead of her:
Chen loved physics and wanted to become a doctor. She played violin in her school orchestra, graduated from junior high school in the top 1 percent, and was in the top tier at Stuyvesant, her cousin Dila Szeto, 25, said. The tragic sophomore also joined the school's piano club and had just landed her first part-time job at a hospital, Szeto said, adding, "She was so young, so talented, so smart."The driver reportedly stayed at the scene of the accident and will not face criminal charges. Chen's family can't believe that she would disobey the traffic signal. This blog suggests that there are too many unanswered questions about the crash. In any case, it's a terrible tragedy. More here: Cops Say Teen Cyclist Killed Was Riding Against The Light.
When the family went to see Chen's battered body late Saturday, "they couldn't recognize her face at all. It was totally swollen. Her clothes were all bloody and thrown away," Szeto said. "The only thing we have left of her is her iPod and her watch.