A woman walking her dog was hit and killed by a city garbage truck in Chelsea Wednesday morning after the pup ran underneath the truck and she went after it, authorities say.
Jackie Haeflinger, 58, was walking her dog near Seventh Avenue and West 15th Street around 10 a.m. when the dog ran toward the idling truck.
The dog ran underneath the garbage truck and Haeflinger went to reach for it, but slipped under the truck and was run over, according to a man who witnessed the accident as he was coming home from work.
"She was trying to reach for the dog, the dog was running under the truck," said Edward Sanders. "She tried to grab for the dog but slipped and went under the truck."
She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Haeflinger, who lived on the block, was a familiar face around the neighborhood.
Her Boston Terrier survived and was unharmed.
"Obviously she must love the dog a lot to chase him," said Mario Maroto.
