Kingston’s tragic history of bicycle fatalities sadly continued this week after Kingston woman Christine Tarasco, 65, was struck and killed on Pine Grove Avenue by Vanessa Lowe, 60, of Kingston, on Tue. Dec. 27, according to Kingston police.
“The glare of the sun appears to have contributed to the accident,” police indicated, saying Lowe was driving on Pine Grove Avenue near the YMCA ramp when she collided with Tarasco. The victim was taken to HealthAlliance Hospital, where officers say she succumbed to her injuries.
Police said the accident was still being investigated, and “no conclusions have been reached, and no additional information will be released at this time.”
The city of Kingston has an usually high rate of bike fatalities per capita compared to other cities. The national rate is around 2.7 fatalities per million people annually. In New York City, it’s 2.8 fatalities per million. This is the fourth fatal bike accident in Kingston — population 24,000 — since November 2020. There were three other bicyclist fatalities near Kingston between 2017 and 2018 — one in Rosendale, one in Port Ewen, and another on 9W in Ulster Park.
Prior to this week’s tragedy, city officials had authorized the spending of tens of thousands of dollars on a road safety campaign. The city and county recently announced they were acquiring tens of thousands more in grants to educate locals and passers-through on how to drive, bike and walk more safely.
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