E-bike operator remains critical after crash in East Rockaway, police say

A 34-year-old man critically injured Tuesday after his e-bike ran a red light and struck another vehicle in East Rockaway remained hospitalized Thursday, police said.

Nassau County police said the man, whose identity has not been released, was northbound on Carman Avenue about 7:10 a.m. when his vehicle collided with a 2022 Jeep Compass driven by a 34-year-old woman at the intersection of Main Street and Carman Road. The e-bike operator was transported to the hospital in critical condition, police said. The vehicle was initially identified by police as a motorcycle.

The woman, whose identity also was not released, was not injured in the crash, police said. She remained at the scene, police said.

Authorities closed Main Street between Davison and Grant avenues for several hours Tuesday for an investigation.

Although police initially described the e-bike involved in the incident as “unregistered,” the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles said e-bikes and electric scooters cannot be registered in the state – but are legal to operate on some streets and highways throughout New York. The law affecting operation of e-bikes was changed in April 2020; the law affecting scooters changed in August 2020.

E-bikes are permitted on streets and highways with a speed limit of 30 mph or less, the DMV said on a webpage explaining regulations, adding that municipalities can regulate “time, place and manner of operation” – and noting that e-bikes and scooters can not be operated on sidewalk areas, unless authorized by local law or ordinance.

Mini-bikes, off-road motorcycles, known as dirt bikes, and go karts cannot be used on sidewalks, street or highways under any circumstances, the DMV said. 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”