Central Park Tragedy: Dad Dies 4 Days After Struck by Speeding Bicycle

Family and friends are reeling after a dad of two young daughters died on Sunday, Sept. 27, four days after he was hit by a speeding pedal bicycle while crossing a roadway on the east side of Central Park.

Rich O’Brien, 41, was a steamfitter on his way to work on Sept. 23 when he suffered a traumatic head injury when he was hit by a 32-year-old man shortly after 6:30 a.m. Police initially said the accident happened on West Drive near West 84th St. But late on Sept. 28, five days after the accident, they revised it to say he was hit on East Drive and the East 84th Street transverse, which runs under East Drive.

Although he was rushed to New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center on the day of the accident, he never regained consciousness.

He was married to Ronni O’Brien and they had two young daughters, according to GoFundMe started by family friend Casey Bartel to raise money for the woman who is now his widow. “Ronni has been a devoted stay-at-home mom, dedicating herself to raising their two daughters...who are just 8 and 12 years old,” wrote Bartels.

O’Brien had undergone two brain surgeries, according to an aunt, Luann Moskowitz on Instagram. She said on the day after the accident that family was told he probably only had 24 hours left to live. She said she was hoping for a miracle that sadly did not happen but he kept battling for four days.

“Richie passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Sunday, September 27, with Ronni by his side,” Bartels wrote on GoFundMe which had raised over $80,000 by Sept. 27. He lived in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.

“Although our hearts are broken by this unimaginable loss, Richie’s legacy will live on. He was able to give the gift of life to others through organ donation, helping those in need even in his final moments.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the love, prayers, and support that have surrounded Richie and his family throughout this heartbreaking journey.”

Police said that the biker who hit O’Brien suffered minor injuries on the day of the collision. There has been no arrest.

In a statement released on Sept. 25 the CPC said, “As the managers and stewards of the Park, we renew our call for additional safety measures on the Drives” That includes calling for enforcement of a 15-mph speed limit as well as “stronger and more consistent enforcement of traffic rules by our partners in city government; and Better bike infrastructure around the Park’s perimeter so that commuters and delivery riders have safe, direct routes that don’t require cutting through the Park itself.

But the Conservancy has drawn sharp criticism for some of its recent changes in the park, including eliminating virtually all traffic signals and for the first time allowing e-bikes and delivery vehicles while pushing for elimination of horse carriages, which are involved in far fewer fatalities than bikes.

“This is such a tragedy and it did not have to happen,” said Janet Schroeder, head of New York E-vehicle Safety Alliance. “Pedestrians have the right of way 100% of the time. Ever since the dangerous Central Park redesign that has turned park drives into a super highway for deliveristas, CitiBikes, illegal e-vehicles and covering walk signs with burlap there has been a huge increase in serious bicycle and e-vehicle accidents in Central Park.”

Schroeder also was critical of the CPC head Betty Smith’s recent stance calling for a ban of carriage horses while not speaking up about the e-bike and bike accidents.

Friends and family were devastated by the loss.

“I met Rich when I was six years old, in first grade, and from there we became the best of friends,” said Anthony Kozlowsky in a statement on GoFundMe. “When I think about my childhood and growing up, Rich is in so many of those memories. From playing street hockey as kids, to going to the seventh-grade dance, to ditching school and getting into trouble together, we literally grew up side by side,” he said.

“Eventually, we stood beside each other at our weddings,” Koslowsky wrote. “Rich was truly the glue that held our friend group together. He was one of the kindest and most selfless people I have ever known, and always the life of the party. No matter what you needed or when you needed it, if you called Rich, he would be there.”