Elderly man pushing bicycle dies in crash

An elderly man pushing his bicycle across a Nicosia street on Friday was killed after he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

According to police, 85-year-old Nicholas Christodoulou was pushing his bicycle while attempting to cross Kennedy Avenue in Pallouriotissa, east Nicosia, when he was struck by another vehicle.

The incident took place Friday late morning, around 11:20am, when a vehicle driven by a 79-year-old woman struck the senior citizen under circumstances still pending an investigation.

An ambulance rushed Christodoulou to the Emergency Room at Nicosia General Hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced him dead on arrival.

Local media said Christodoulou, described as a local Greek Cypriot, was known to take the same route on a daily basis. His routine included getting off his bicycle to push it across Kennedy Avenue.

Christodoulou’s death was number 28 on this year’s list of road fatalities, with officials expressing concern over the number being too high given that drivers were in lockdown during the second quarter.

Friday’s fatality also comes just two months after another pensioner was killed on the same road back in July, when 73-year-old Antonakis Savoullis was riding his moped when he collided head-on with a vehicle driven by a 66-year-old male.

Police did not provide any information regarding any arrest warrants or traffic violations in connection with Friday’s fatality, but an official statement called on members of the public to contact authorities if they have any information regarding the incident.