A pickup truck plowed into a sidewalk in the Cobble Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn Friday evening, hitting and killing a woman, police said.
A 53-year-old man was driving the 2011 Honda Ridgeline north on Clinton Street when he lost control and jumped the curb at Atlantic Avenue, according to police. The truck hit 48-year-old Martha Atwater, a writer who was leaving the Bagel Cafe, and pinned her underneath, witnesses said.
"The truck didn't hit the building so he was able to brake at some point," said Amille Harris.
A crowd tried to lift the truck while they waited for an ambulance, but was unsuccessful.
"I just kept telling them, 'Make sure you keep talking to her, let her know that someone's coming to help her,'" said Harris.
Atwater was taken to Long Island College Hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead, police said.
Police said the driver stayed at the scene and no criminality is suspected. They're investigating if he had a medical problem behind the wheel.
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Brooklyn residents grimly wondered how much worse it could have been. In better weather, families, children and countless other pedestrians dot the sidewalk where the SUV veered.
"When you look at the scene, you can see all the parked cars don't appear to have been touched at all," said Marlene Regalado of Cobble Hill.
