A driver died after he crashed into a city bus and his vehicle flipped over near Bryant Park in midtown at the start of the evening rush Friday, authorities say.
Investigators are looking into whether the driver of the SUV had a medical episode that could have caused him to lose control at the intersection of 41st Street and Sixth Avenue.
Witnesses and police said the SUV struck a city bus, then flipped and rolled into a fire hydrant, throwing debris onto the sidewalk.
Ruben Torres, who was in the park when he heard the crash, said "it sounded like something fell from the building."
"I ran to the noise, then I saw the springs and the tires and the whole front of the vehicle gone," he said.
Emergency responders extricated the driver and transported him to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
No one else was hurt.
Sixth Avenue was closed for several hours as police investigated and crews cleared the scene. Some witnesses said the scene was so dramatic they thought they were seeing a movie shoot.
Photo courtesy Natalie Negrotti
Photo courtesy Natalie Negrotti
