A New York taxi crash has left three people with life-threatening injuries as video footage showed the devastating aftermath of the horrific incident.
The crash occurred in central Manhattan on Monday and sent a total of six people to local hospitals, said authorities. The taxi struck the pedestrians at around 1:00 p.m. at 1186 Broadway, near 29th Street, a few blocks from the Empire State Building.
New York Taxi Crash
New York Police Department (NYPD) Deputy Chief John Chell of the Patrol Services Bureau said that the incident appeared to be an accident. However, he noted that investigators will continue their work and be the ones to make that determination.
Chell said the video footage of the crash shows the taxi making a left turn on Broadway and colliding with a cyclist who was heading southbound on Broadway. The cab then slowed down, veered to the left, and jumped the sidewalk.
🚨#BREAKING: Several injured after car veers onto sidewalk in Manhattan, NY
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 20, 2022
📌#Manhattan l #NewYork
Multiple Emergency crews at the scene where at least six people have been struck by a taxi At least three people in critical condition it’s still unknown what caused the crash pic.twitter.com/42K13Ta3Bm
The taxi appeared to have sped up before hitting two women and pinning them against the wall of the building. Chell noted that as the crash was occurring, a remarkable scene took place where roughly 15 to 20 New Yorkers attempted to pick the cab off of the women, as per CNN.
The driver of the taxi was one of the six people that were transported to local hospitals, said Chell, although he did not reveal the driver's condition. A 31-year-old identified as Adam Seitzman witnessed the aftermath of the crash from the seventh floor of a building on the corner.
He said that everyone in the area scattered but then after roughly 15 seconds, they ran back after realizing that people were pinned down by the taxi. He noted that there was a passenger in the cab when the driver jumped the curb. The passenger allegedly wondered whether the taxi driver was going to stop when he turned left but then struck the cyclist.
According to the New York Daily News, 40-year-old Mamadou Barry was one of the people who tried to lift the cab off the women who were pinned to the wall. He said that the driver turned real fast and there were people sitting there who were struck as well. He noted that the crowd was able to pry the cab off at least one of the women.
Horrifying Incident
Another person, identified as 63-year-old Mohammad Khan, who owns S&A Perfumes Inc. on the corner of 29th St. and Broadway, said that one of the pinned women had "chopped feet" and the other's "bone was coming out [of her leg] and her feet were turning inside out.
Witnesses in the area also said that the cyclist's arm was twisted and his leg was crushed as he lay in the street in shock after the crash. Barry said that at first, he thought the cyclist was going to die because of the crash. The taxi driver allegedly said that he lost control of his car and noted that his brake may have been malfunctioning.
Truck driver Kader Issoufou, who witnessed the incident, said that one man took off his belt and tied it around one of the women's leg to try and stop the bleeding as it was mangled from the crash, the New York Post reported.
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