Woman, 20, Hit by Speeding SUV on Park Avenue

The driver was taken into custody at the scene

A 20-year-old woman was in critical condition after being struck by a speeding SUV on Park Avenue Tuesday, police said.

The SUV was going northbound on Park Avenue when it struck the woman at 33rd Street, police said. The driver continued on Park Avenue, hitting a yellow cab, then turned west to go to Fifth Avenue, where he crashed into a garbage truck at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue.

The taxi driver, Mohammed Gherabawy, told NBC 4 New York he happened to look in his rear view mirror the moment the SUV driver hit the woman.

"I saw her kind of flying in the air," he said. "And the guy, he was coming towards me, and I was trying to get out his way, he didn't give me no chance. He just struck me from behind."

Gherabawy said "everybody was running" from the SUV as it turned the corner.

"The way he was driving... something was wrong with him," he said. "He wasn't stable."

"I thought this was a dream," said Gherabawy. "It was a very bad experience."

The driver was taken into custody and removed Bellevue Hospital for minor injuries. Charges are pending, and police are continuing to investigate.

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