By Eli MacKinnon
BENSONHURST — A 62-year-old Bensonhurst cyclist is dead after being struck Wednesday by an 81-year-old driver who was speeding away from a collision with a school bus, police told the Eagle.
Guy Saladino, 81, rear-ended a school bus while heading south on 18th Avenue near 71st Street in a black Mercedes-Benz Wednesday afternoon, according to police. He then accelerated and continued south on 18th Avenue in an apparent attempt to flee the accident, slamming into the 62-year-old cyclist at 18th Avenue and 73rd Street at around 4:25 p.m.
After hitting the cyclist, who was thrown onto the windshield of a parked car before landing on the sidewalk according to the Daily News, Saladino reportedly attempted to continue his flight down 18th Avenue, coming to a stop only when he careened into a parked Range Rover.
The 62-year-old victim was rushed to Maimonides Medical Center, where he died, according to police.
Saladino, who is the owner of Continental Shoes at 6210 18th Ave. in Bensonhurst, was taken to the hopsital and is in stable condition, according to police. He was arrested Wednesday night and charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment in the second degree and numerous traffic violations.
A police source who spoke to the Eagle could not verify whether there were children in the school bus that was rear-ended, but there were no reported injuries related to the alleged hit-and-run except for those sustained by the deceased cyclist.
