Syracuse, NY — May 24, 2024, Rondell Cooks was killed following an e-bike versus bus accident at around 6:30 p.m. along South Salina Street.
Preliminary information about the accident says that it happened at the intersection of South Salina Street and West Beard Avenue.
According to authorities, 40-year-old Rondell Cooks was on an e-bike going southbound along Salina. At Beard Avenue, it appears a Centro bus attempted to turn left from the northbound lane. The vehicles collided as a result. Following the initial collision, an SUV then hit Cooks. Cooks died as a result of the accident.
Currently, additional details about the accident are unavailable.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
The most recent images of this intersection I can find show a relatively clear intersection where drivers should have no problem seeing someone approaching in the oncoming lane—even a smaller vehicle like an e-bike. It makes me wonder if there was something highly unusual that made this more challenging or if this was simply a case of a driver failing to pay attention while making a turn.
That would be concerning enough on its own if it weren’t for the fact the driver making the turn was in a bus. Bus drivers are generally held to an incredibly high legal standard of prudence, since they’re professionals tasked with transporting people safely. If evidence shows that a mistake led to this accident, it would raise serious questions not just about the driver’s potential actions but also any possible history of mistakes, their qualifications, their condition at the time of the collision, and whether or not any of the factors that led to this crash were foreseeable. My concern is that if authorities focus too much on the crash scene itself, they may overlook extenuating circumstances the victim’s loved ones deserve to know.
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