A 15-year-old New York City girl who was fatally struck by a commercial truck while riding a Citi Bike in Manhattan was remembered by friends and family as an active teenager who loved sports and spending time with the people around her.

Daria Serkov was killed Friday night, Sept. 18, when a large commercial truck struck the bicycle she was riding with a 16-year-old friend in Manhattan’s East Village.

A year before the fatal crash, Serkov had appeared in a photograph taken while riding a Citi Bike. The image has taken on a painful significance for those who knew her following her sudden death.

Teen Killed in East Village Collision

According to the NYPD, Serkov was riding as a passenger on a Citi Bike being operated by her 16-year-old friend. The teenagers were traveling west on East 14th Street at approximately 9 p.m. when they encountered a commercial truck at the intersection with First Avenue.

Police said the truck, operated by a 57-year-old driver, was traveling westbound on East 14th Street and turning right onto First Avenue when it struck the teenagers.

The girls were taken to Bellevue Hospital. Serkov suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead. Her friend, who was operating the bicycle, suffered a leg injury and was hospitalized. She was later reported to be in stable condition.

The truck driver remained at the scene and was not injured. Police have not announced any criminal charges in connection with the collision, and the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad is continuing to investigate.

Remembered as a Twin and Athlete

Serkov lived in Stuyvesant Town and had a twin sister. Friends and members of the local community described her as a teenager who enjoyed athletics, including soccer and tennis.

Her death has been particularly difficult for those who knew her because of how suddenly it happened.

A community vigil was held near the intersection where the crash occurred, with teenagers, friends and neighbors gathering to place candles and flowers and remember the girl.

Christine Janssen, who organized the vigil, told local media that young people in the neighborhood were struggling to process the loss.

The gathering also brought attention to Serkov’s twin sister and her family, who were mourning the loss of a teenager who had been part of their everyday lives only days earlier.

Questions Surround the Dangerous Intersection

The crash has also prompted renewed discussion about bicycle safety at the busy East Village intersection.

The NYPD said the two teenagers were traveling on a portion of East 14th Street without a dedicated bicycle lane when they were struck by the turning truck. The intersection has since become a focus of calls for improved protection for cyclists and pedestrians.

Transportation Alternatives, a New York City transportation advocacy organization, said the street design can require cyclists traveling along 14th Street to cross multiple lanes of traffic when turning onto First Avenue.

The organization has called for measures including turn calming, changes to traffic signals and additional protected bicycle infrastructure.

Another local cycling publication, Streetsblog NYC, has raised questions about the initial police description of how the collision occurred, citing video footage that it said appeared to show the cyclist continuing across the intersection rather than making the turn described in the preliminary police account. That interpretation remains part of an ongoing public discussion, rather than an established finding of the official investigation.

Community Remembers Daria

In the days following the crash, candles, flowers and photographs were placed near the intersection where Serkov lost her life.

Friends and neighbors gathered not only to mourn her but also to support her family and classmates as they dealt with the sudden loss.

A fundraising campaign has also been established to help Serkov’s family. According to Spectrum News NY1, the campaign had raised more than $30,000 by Sept. 21.

The investigation into the collision remains ongoing. Authorities have not announced criminal charges against the truck driver.

For Serkov’s loved ones, however, the investigation is secondary to the loss of a 15-year-old girl whose life ended in a matter of seconds while she was riding a bicycle with a friend.

She is now being remembered through photographs, stories and the memories of the people who knew her — including an older image of a smiling teenager on a Citi Bike that has taken on a deeply painful meaning after her death.

Sources: New York Post; NYPD; CBS News New York; NBC New York; ABC7 New York; Spectrum News NY1; PEOPLE; Streetsblog NYC; Transportation Alternatives.