Woman in Coma After Being Struck by E-Bike in Central Park; Renews Calls for Ban

A recent accident in Central Park, in which a 46-year-old runner was struck down by an e-bike, is the latest in a series of collisions which advocates say demonstrate underreporting and a lack of enforcement by NY officials.

One proponent who is pushing for stricter enforcement and tougher laws calls e-bikes are currently the city’s “biggest public health risk.”

The jogger, identified as “Jean” by family members, was running in Central Park, one of her favorite pastimes, when she was struck from behind by an e-bike driving the wrong way in the running lane on the park’s West Drive, near W 64 St.

She was transported by EMS to New York-Presbyterian–Weill Cornell Medical Center, the UWS resident had to undergo emergency cranial surgery and three blood transfusions. She suffered deep wounds from hitting the pavement face first and a broken elbow. For over a week, Jean had to remain in a medically induced coma and was unresponsive. News of the tragic accident was first reported in the West Side Rag.

A niece, Bandi Wiltse, who started a GoFundMe page wrote, “My Aunt Jean is a vibrant and active woman who loves jogging in Central Park. On 07/07 on an afternoon run, her life changed in an instant when a man riding an e-bike collided with her.”

By July 17, Jean was able to breathe with oxygen assistance and has been extubated, according to GoFundMe which by July 19 had raised over $27,000 to cover the costs of Jean’s apartment during her recovery.

The family also described how they hope Jean’s accident will raise awareness for further accident prevention: “E-bikes can reach speeds of 20+ mph, require no registration or insurance, and are nearly silent on approach. They cause serious injuries daily and there is a general lack of accountability.”

Wiltse, Jean’s niece, thanked the public for the outpour of support for Jean following the accident.

“I want to say thank you to our family, friends, and the NYC community for surrounding us with so much love and support during an unimaginably difficult time,” Wiltse wrote on GoFundMe.

Janet Schroeder, co-founder and director of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance (NYC-EVSA), said steps forward include issuing license plates for all vehicles, greater enforcement by NYPD, and legislation to ban e-vehicles in the park.

While the Central Park Conservancy is pushing to ban horse-drawn carriages, it has recently relaxed regulations and is allowing e-bike and cargo bikes to use the park for the first time. The Conservancy has also pushed to remove traffic lights in the park and replaced them with flashing lights or completely covered them in some places.

Currently, two pieces of legislation in NY State Senate and NY City Council would meet Schroeder’s wishes: Priscilla’s Law (S2599A) in State Senate, which would require license plates for all e-bikes and electric scooters; and Intro. 377 in City Council, which would prohibit operation of electric bikes and scooters in city parks. Currently, both bills are sitting in committee.

“If people don’t think they’re ever going to be held accountable, they’ll never change their behavior, so it’s about changing behavior and saving lives,” Schroeder said. “When we get to the park, we have been fighting for another bill, and it is to prohibit e-bikes from our parks. They don’t belong there.”

“Our parks are for safe recreation and relaxation, not for transportation,” Schroeder added. “They shouldn’t be e-bike highways for commuting or delivering.”

Schroeder said the accident, which was first reported by the West Side Rag is only one in a slew of accidents over the years.

“This accident is tragic, but the press is acting like it never happens,” Schroeder said. “It happens all the time. It happens daily in our city. There are head injuries and people have brain fractures and it’s unbelievable. We have we have 27 skull fractures from e-bikes just in our group of 130 victims.”

Some witnesses claimed the e-bike rider tried to flee the scene but was restrained by bystanders. The NYPD told Straus News that the 26-year-old male operator remained on the scene and that there was a report on file in the Central Park Precinct but so far there has been no arrest.

Schroeder said she hopes Jean’s family will sue the city, Central Park Conservancy, and the NY Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) to further push for accountability.

“EVSA wants them to do that because only with lawsuits will anybody listen,” Schroeder said. “Our number one thing is we want her to heal 100% and there never to be another situation like this. Unfortunately, it’s just a matter of days before it happens again.”

Bike advocates complain that motor vehicles are far more dangerous than e-bikes. And they argue that greater use of e-bikes across the city cuts air pollution.

But Schroeder counters that the DOT’s injury statistics are severely underreported, because they rely on NYPD reports and e-bike drivers often flee the scene of an accident. She noted that emergency room statistics showcase higher numbers, including a NYU Langone report which noted a 50% increase in trauma cases due to e-vehicle accidents from 2018 to 2023.

“There’s a lot of stuff in the news right now about banning horse carriages,” Schroeder said. “We’re not a horse carriage organization, but we sure do find it interesting that picking that is their hill to die on, instead of the one where people are regularly getting being hit and killed all over the city, and they were very silent.”

Gale Brewer, City Council Member for the UWS, called the accident “horrible,” and pointed to a need for some form of bike driver identification, but insisted that the change on e-bike registration has to come at the state level, not the city council.

“In the old days, if you had a store, a restaurant, you’d have the name of the restaurant on your vest, but those days are over, it’s all the apps,” Brewer said, which makes it harder to keep tabs on the e-bike accidents.

In regards to current e-bike legislation, Brewer pointed to the 2025 enactment of Local Law 133, which requires delivery workers to complete a DOT-approved safety course before making deliveries and for third-party compliance with city safety requirements. Still pending is Resolution 43, urging the State Senate to pass the “Commercial E-Bike Licensing Act,” and Intro. 91, requiring speedometers on e-bikes and scooters.

Brewer said the main issue is speeding, for electric and non-electric bikes, and called for police officers to enforce existing laws governing e-bikes.

“The police department needs to be much more attuned to the speeding, and it’s not just e-bikes,” Brewer said. “You also have the Tour de France bike riders. In any case, the cops need to be on bikes, either from the precinct in Central Park or centrally, and they need to set up, in my opinion, speed traps. It’s supposed to be 15 miles per hour.”

Brewer, who is currently also co-sponsoring Intro. 377 to ban e-bikes in the park, said the bill faces issues in making sure delivery drivers are still able to operate efficiently in having replacement lanes outside of the park.

”I don’t think it’s going to happen either, so that’s a problem,” Brewer said. “Right now there is a bike lane on Central Park West going uptown. Maybe on Fifth Avenue there should be a bike lane going downtown. That’s part of the issue, as I understand it. I’m very close to the delivery people, as well as the people who are concerned.”