Driver Responsible for Fatal Bicycle Crash Pleads Not Guilty to Homicide, Negligence

The driver who fatally struck cyclist John H. Corcoran ’84 last year pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide and negligence on Monday, appearing in court for the first time since the Middlesex District Attorney’s office sought charges four months ago.

26-year-old Junming Zhu was driving an SUV on Memorial Drive when he collided with Corcoran, who was biking on the sidewalk near Boston University’s DeWolfe Boathouse in September.

The Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section completed an investigation into the crash at the beginning of March and made limited information available more than five months after Corcoran’s death. But the police report, made public for the first time in Zhu’s Monday arraignment, included a more detailed description of the fatal crash.

The head-on collision threw Corcoran over the vehicle, leaving his helmet and e-bike broken in pieces across the road as witnesses rushed to the scene to provide medical aid while calling for emergency services, the police report said.

Zhu told police he lost control while driving because of a large insect inside the vehicle, a reaction police called “completely unreasonable,” in the police report. Police found that Corcoran was not at fault for the crash in any way, noting that he was obeying traffic laws in a pedestrian-designated area.

“It was just difficult knowing that a poor response to a pretty normal driving situation is ultimately what killed my father,” Jack B. Corcoran ’25, Corcoran’s son, said in a Tuesday interview. “A bug isn’t an excuse for poor driving or negligent driving.”

Zhu is facing three charges for motor vehicle homicide, negligent driving, and a marked lanes violation for veering off the roadway. He pleaded not guilty to all three counts before being released on his personal recognizance on Monday. A pre-trial hearing has been set for September — days before the one-year anniversary of Corcoran’s death.

Zhu’s lawyer, Joseph D. Eisenstadt, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Monday hearing was the first time Corcoran’s family saw the driver in person.

“It was definitely a surreal experience,” Jack Corcoran said. “I’ve been imagining it for months leading up to this moment.”

“But I guess realizing it was him — it was difficult, I would say,” he added.

Cambridge sees more than 100 bicycle-involved crashes every year on average, according to a city analysis of crash data. Last summer, two cyclists in Cambridge were hit and killed by box trucks.

And the stretch of Memorial Drive where John Corcoran was hit has been a flashpoint in the city’s ongoing debates over bike safety, garnering safety warnings from bike safety advocates and local politicians for years.

In the weeks after Corcoran was killed, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation lowered speed limits and improved infrastructure on Memorial Drive near the Boston University Bridge.

Still, Cambridge has been slow to construct a long-promised network of separated bike lanes through a 25-mile stretch of the city as residents continue to object to construction plans. The bike lanes — though briefly delayed — must be completed by next May.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at megan.blonigen@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart.