A yellow cab driver jumped a curb and struck three pedestrians after hitting a cyclist in Manhattan Monday afternoon, leaving two of the pedestrians with critical injuries, the NYPD said.
The 60-year-old cab driver was traveling west on 29th Street, at the intersection of Broadway, around 1 p.m. when he tried to make a left turn onto Broadway, police said.
As the driver was turning, he hit a 50-year-old man riding a bicycle south on Broadway, knocking him to the ground and dragging him a short distance, the NYPD said.
Watch as NYPD executives make an announcement of a collision investigation on Broadway in Manhattan. https://t.co/ZirltrPG27
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 20, 2022
After the driver hit the cyclist, he slowed down, veered left and mounted the sidewalk in front of a bagel shop at a “slow rate of speed,” NYPD Deputy Chief John Chell said at a news briefing Monday afternoon.
The driver then hit two 32-year-old women and a 48-year-old woman who were on the sidewalk, pinning two of the women underneath his cab, the NYPD said.
Fifteen to 20 bystanders tried to lift the cab off of the two women after the cab hit them, Chell said.
The cab driver was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue in stable condition, where he was treated for neck and back pain, police said. The cyclist he hit was taken to the same hospital in stable condition, where he was treated for an injury to his right arm, according to police.
The 48-year-old woman and one of the 32-year-old women were hospitalized in critical condition with “severe leg injuries,” the NYPD said.
The second 32-year-old woman was listed in stable condition, with bruising to her body, police said. The NYPD initially said six people were injured.
The incident appeared to have been an accident, but an investigation is ongoing, Chell said. As of Monday night, the cab driver had not been charged with a crime.
Mayor Eric Adams visited the scene of the collision early Monday evening. He noted that the pedestrians who were hit were tourists from Ohio and Mexico.
"You saw New Yorkers surrounding the cab, trying to assist as much as possible," Adams said. "And this is what we do best. During a time of tragedy, New Yorkers step up and assist as much as they can."
In a statement provided to NY1 Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the bagel shop, Black Seed Bagels, said the business was “working closely with the NYPD and [the city’s Department of Transportation] in their investigation to determine the cause of the crash.”
“Our hearts are with those who were injured as we pray for their well-being,” the spokesperson added.