Driver Strikes 2 Bicyclists, Killing 1, Before Slamming Into House In Hicksville

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Police said a driver hit two bicyclists, killing one, and slammed into a home in Hicksville Wednesday afternoon.

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, Nassau County police said the accident happened at 83 New South Rd. in Hicksville Wednesday afternoon.

A helmet and a mangled bicycle were left behind in the pavement on New South Road after the accident, CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported.

Police said the bicyclists – a woman and her father – were riding down the road when they were hit by the passing sport-utility vehicle.

The Ford Explorer went on to clip a car and then hit the brick house, taking down the front porch, police said.

Tatiana Romero and her mother were inside the house with other family members at the time. They were shaken, but not hurt.

"Everyone's OK, but you know," Romero said.

As WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs reported, Deanna Lopez and her mother were among the first on the scene.

"And I saw like three cars here, two bikes over here, and we just see the body," Lopez said. "I was so distraught. My mom was like crying."

The woman, described as being in her 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Neighbors ran to help and said the man she was riding with identified himself as her father.

"They were just, you know, riding their bikes. They were staying in their neighborhood because they thought they would be safer," a neighbor said. "He said, 'Oh, I'm OK.' I'm like: 'No, you're not OK. You've got to sit down, relax.' And we got him some water and that was it."

Police have not identified the woman who was killed. Her father, who is in his 70s, was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The 57-year-old female driver of the SUV and her passenger, a man in his 30s, were also taken to an area hospital with superficial injuries, police said.

The driver of the car the SUV clipped was not injured, police said.

While it is not known if it played a part in this crash, Residents in the neighborhood say a lot of drivers use New South Road as a shortcut to Route 107 and often drive too fast.

"They speed like there are no houses around, and people complain but nothing ever changes," a neighbor said.

Bicyclists in the area were thinking twice after the accident.

"I will never ride my bike alongside New South Road," one cyclist said. "It's very upsetting right in your own neighborhood."

Police told CBS2 the house that the SUV crashed into has been condemned, and the three families living there have been left without a home.

As for what caused the SUV to crash into the cyclists, that was still under investigation late Wednesday.