The trial of a USPS driver charged in the fatal killing of a cyclist on Central Park West two years ago began on Wednesday with two bombshells: the driver had a long history of reckless driving that his supervisors should have known about — and that his defense hinges on an admission that he never saw the cyclist.
The former postal service worker, 63-year-old Brooklynite Sergei Alekseev is facing a low-level misdemeanor charge and a summons for failing to yield and to exercise due care for fatally striking Jeffrey Williamson at the intersection of W. 86th Street on June 29, 2021.
During the day-long trial — a rare criminal case involving a traffic fatality — Alekseev’s defense attorney blamed Williamson, even though the cyclist had the right of way and was riding in a bike lane that the city considers protected.
Williamson’s widow was shocked and stunned at the arguments made in the Manhattan Criminal Court room.