Six people were hospitalized, with three in critical condition, on Monday after a taxi drove onto a sidewalk in Manhattan’s Flatiron neighborhood, resulting in a harrowing rescue attempt by bystanders, police said.
The collision occurred around 1 p.m. when the taxi driver turned south on West 29th Street and Broadway, according to NYPD Deputy Chief John Chell who delivered a briefing based on video footage.
After hitting a bicyclist, he said the taxi driver veered toward the sidewalk and appeared to speed up, jumping the curb and pressing two women against a wall, according to Chell.
Afterwards, about 15 to 20 New Yorkers attempted to lift the car off the women.
Chell called the moment “a remarkable scene.” Firefighters were among those who responded to the incident.
An investigation by the city’s highway investigation team is pending.
The cab driver was among those hospitalized.
In a statement released Monday evening, Mayor Eric Adams said he visited the site of the collision. He called the crash “a terrible tragedy” and thanked those who tried to assist the victims.
“Traffic safety is all of our concern, and I will continue working and taking action every day to keep New Yorkers and everyone else visiting our city safe on our streets,” he added.
Adams has been under steady pressure from transit advocates to address the rise in traffic fatalities since the pandemic began. Earlier this year, he promised to redesign 1,000 intersections as well as beef up enforcement.
Most recently, the city’s Department of Transportation unveiled a $4 million ad campaign against speeding.
The article has been updated to include a statement from Mayor Eric Adams.