Ten people were injured in Midtown when a truck driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a nearby van in a chain reaction collision on Monday afternoon that ended with eight pedestrians struck.
According to police sources, the incident unfolded on 8th Avenue and 30th Street at around 3:59 p.m. on Oct. 20. A Ryder rental truck driver careened into a parked work van and sent it hurtling onto the sidewalk. The vehicle struck eight pedestrians, the youngest being a 21-year-old woman.
“She had, like, head injuries, a big knot, a very huge one,” an eyewitness told amNewYork. “She was bleeding from the face, she was the one who took most of it.”
In addition to the pedestrians, the driver of the truck and his passenger were also injured. EMS rushed the 10 injured to Bellevue Hospital and Lennox Hill hospital. all involved are expected to survive. The NYPD Emergency Response Unit pulled the van, belonging to Mauceri Electric of Middle Village, Queens, from the sidewalk.
A trail of broken glass and debris was scattered across the roadway; slices of pizza dropped by someone was also strewn on the sidewalk.
One eyewitness, who asked not to be named, claimed that he spoke to the driver, who alleged that his steering wheel became locked.
“When I asked the driver what happened, because I was right here, he was like: ‘Man, I just lost control.’ The steering wheel just lost control, he said it wouldn’t let him control it anymore. Basically, he said it just kept picking up speed. He said the brake stopped working, like the engine just kept revving and getting faster,” the witness said.
Police have not yet verified that statement or the actual cause of the crash, which remains under investigation.
No arrests have been made and no criminality is suspected.
