Manhattan

Part of Broadway in Midtown Will Become Car-Free After Cab Collided With Cyclist

Police say the taxi collided with a bicyclist before jumping the curb and hitting the three women, at least one of whom could lose a leg

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A section of Broadway in Manhattan will become a car-free zone after an out-of-control taxi cab hit a bicyclist and hopped a curb, slamming into a group on a busy sidewalk.

Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to make changes to the area in midtown, including restricting most vehicular traffic from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the part of Broadway stretching from West 29th Street, where the crash occurred, down to West 27th Street.

Two people were left trapped under the taxi SUV Monday afternoon, after the 60-year-old driver was trying to turn left on Broadway around 1 p.m., but struck a bicyclist moving southbound, police said.

Law enforcement sources said that the cyclist ran a red light on Broadway and collided with the cab as it was turning.

The impact threw the bicyclist to the road, and the taxi dragged him briefly before it hopped the curb and started traveling down the sidewalk, coming to a rest further down Broadway. Six people were injured in the crash, three critically, police said.

Ordinary New Yorkers turned into extraordinary heroes to help save the victims. The crowd of onlookers tried to lift the vehicle off the trapped women after the afternoon accident. Cops described a "remarkable" scene as some 15 to 20 people rushed over to help move the taxi off the women.

Two women, a 32-year-old and a 48-year-old, were taken to a hospital in critical condition with serious injuries to their legs. The four injured pedestrians are all tourists, two from Mexico and two from Ohio.

A bike delivery worker, who asked not to be identified, was among those who rushed in to help pick up the car off the victims.

"When I look at her eyes, it's horrible, like I'm in a war or something," he said. "It's not normal, so last night I didn't sleep."

Investigators are looking into what led a taxi driver to jump a Manhattan curb and left six people injured. News 4's Gus Rosendale reports.

The driver of the cab was transported to a hospital for treatment of pain to his neck and back, while the 50-year-old bicyclist was taken for treatment of a right arm injury. He was also expected to recover.

The number of traffic deaths in the city have increased since the pandemic, and Adams is facing pressure to find a solution.

Adams has promised to redesign 1,000 intersections and beef up police traffic enforcement. On Tuesday, the group Transportation Alternatives blamed the taxi driver for the crash, and said it could have been prevented by making Broadway car-free.

The traffic changes for the section of Broadway will go into effect by the end of June. The mayor also unveiled plans to expand and redesign pedestrian space in the same area.

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