Iosif Plazinskiy

The grieving son of a 70-year-old bicyclist hit by a box truck in Brooklyn remembers his dad as a man who could fix anything.

Vlad Plazinskiy said his father, Iosif Plazinskiy, a retired carpenter from Brighton Beach, was nicknamed "Golden Hands."

"He worked construction because he loved building stuff," the son said. "He was great at it."

Plazinskiy was walking his bicycle on Ave. X near Coney Island Ave. in
Sheepshead Bay when he slipped under the moving box truck after stepping
out from between two parked cars at 4:45 p.m. Monday, officials said.

Investigators said there was no bicycle lane along Ave. X for
Plazinskiy to use and he lost his balance and fell during the initial
collision.

"He was crossing on the blind side. He slipped and — boom — the bumper
hit him in the head," said John Concepcion, 66, a building super who
watched the scene unfold. "His forehead was split wide open. He was
unconscious. He wasn't moving or anything."

Medics took the victim to Coney Island Hospital but he couldn't be
saved. The truck's driver, Yun Hui Li, 50, stayed on the scene. No
charges were filed.

Vlad Plazinskiy said his dad was born in Odessa, Ukraine and settled in
Brighton Beach in 1994. "He loved this country," he said.

Father and son last spoke on Saturday.

"(We talked about) the usual. Happy New Year," he said. "He just got a new car ... He was happy-go-lucky."

Vlad Plazinskiy learned of his dad's death at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.

"My father lost his wallet two days ago, and that's why he didn't have
his ID on him," he said. "He only had his phone. I guess the police
called the last number that was used, which was my brother-in-law."

"He liked to bike around," the son said. "I'm sure he was careful."