The family of a 15-year-old girl killed on a City Bike on the Lower East Side last week has broken their silence to plead for privacy while they grapple with “an unimaginable loss.”
Daria Serkov’s devastated family said they have been overwhelmed with calls since the bubbly twin was struck and killed by an excavation truck around 9.m. Friday while cycling on 14th Street with a friend and need time to mourn her untimely death, they said in a statement on gofundme.com.
“Our family is living through an unimaginable loss,” the statement said. “We ask for privacy and space to grieve together, to honor Dasha’s life, and to begin processing a sorrow that words cannot express.
“Our beloved Daria, our Dasha, was full of love, joy, and energy,” it said. “She cared deeply for others and brought warmth to the lives of those around her. Her generous spirit and loving heart made her deeply cherished. We will carry her light, her compassion, and the love she gave us in our hearts always.”
Serkov, who had a twin sister and loved to cycle, was riding with a 13-year-old friend when they were struck by the truck, pinning the tragic teen under the massive wheels. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses said the devastated truck driver, who remained at the scene, burst into tears when he realized what had happened. The younger girl was hospitalized but survived the horror.
“I saw the truck driver come out, and he was crying uncontrollably,” neighborhood restaurant owner Bdin Puangsawaski, told The Post after the incident. “A lot of blood was coming out.”
According to the Serkov family, Daria’s name was made public “before our family was ready.”
They said journalists have called kin “at all hours of the day and night,” forcing the family to hire security in order to protect their privacy.
“We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has reached out with genuine care and compassion, to all who attended the vigil [Saturday] night, and those who continue to keep Dasha in their hearts,” the statement said. “Your kindness has brought comfort during the most painful time of our lives.”
The gofundme page has raised more than $111,000 for the grieving family as of Monday afternoon.
