NEW YORK (PIX11) – A British tourist is in serious condition Tuesday morning after a taxi driver in midtown lost control, jumped a curb in and struck the woman, severing her foot.
The accident occurred near Sixth Avenue and West 49th Street around 11:20 a.m. when the cabbie was heading north on 6th Ave. when it lost control turning left onto 49th St.
Workers in the buildings around the scene of the accident recorded the aftermath from their windows.
The hack hit a bicyclist and at least one other person before trapping the tourist underneath the car. The impact of the collision tore off the woman’s left foot.
Dozens of passersby jumped in to help save the woman, including celebrity doctor, Dr. Oz, who teamed with another pedestrian to stop the bleeding.
“A dog leash and a belt, two mundane things you wouldn’t think of, but they saved her life,” Dr. Oz said.
The woman, who was with a friend at the time of the accident, had just bought a hot dog and was sitting by a fountain eating it when she was hit, according to reports.
According to witnesses, she remained conscious the entire time.
The driver, MD Hilman has just a few blemishes on his cab driving record, said the Taxi and Limousine Commission. One for smoking, another for cutting a taxi stand line, and one for a stationary traffic violation. He’s been a driver since 2010.
He spoke exclusively to PIX 11 News right after the accident to express his grief, saying that he was “very upset.”
The driver’s brother rushed to the scene to be with his brother.
Now, the tourist is at Bellevue hospital as doctors try to reattach her leg.
There were no criminal charges filed. According to police, no alcohol was involved.
