Leah Sylvain, Young Brooklyn Artist and Cyclist, Killed by Semi Truck

Photo via Leah Sylvain/Facebook

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — A 27-year-old Connecticut native who had been living in Brooklyn and working as a painter for Scenicorp, a scene-making shop in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, was killed early Tuesday morning by a semi truck allegedly barreling into a left turn off Evergreen Avenue.

The victim was identified by the NYPD and her workplace as Leah Sylvain of Newington, Conn.

Sylvain was riding her bicycle northbound in the designated bike lane on Evergreen Avenue, police said, when a Peterbilt fuel truck heading the same direction made a sudden left turn onto Hart Street, striking the cyclist and throwing her to the ground.

When cops arrived, they said they found Sylvain "on the pavement with head trauma." She was pronounced dead soon after at Woodhull Hospital in upper Bed-Stuy.

Deadly ax Hart St/ Evergreen Ave in #Bushwick #Brooklyn. Woman on a bike killed after hitting a fuel truck pic.twitter.com/aZzdoC0OgR

The driver of the truck — 52-year-old Joseph Cherry, a resident of Ocean Hill, near Bed-Stuy — did not leave the scene, according to the NYPD.

He has, however, been charged by police with failing to yield to a cyclist and failing to exercise due care.

According to Sylvain's Facebook profile, she attended Newington High School and the University of Connecticut before studying fine arts at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

A receptionist at Sylvain's Brooklyn Navy Yard workplace, Scenicorp, sounded devastated when we called Tuesday afternoon. She confirmed that Sylvain had been an employee there but deferred all further comment to the victim's family.

Her Flickr account shows her to have been an incredible painter, sculptor and sketch artist.

Philip Jang, who said he used to attend church with Sylvain at Hillsong NYC, wrote in an email to Patch: "Every time I saw her, she was joyfully and gratefully serving at the hospitality team of our church. She connected with people in line, making them feel comfortable and at home with her contagious laughter."

Did you know Leah Sylvain? We'd love to learn more about her life and legacy. Reach out: simone.wilson@patch.com.