THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) — An SUV struck multiple people, including several children, when it jumped a curb and slammed into a building in the Bronx Tuesday afternoon, police officials and witnesses told PIX11 News.
The crash happened around 12:30 p.m. on East 163rd Street, near Westchester Avenue. Police said a man was trying to reverse the vehicle when he hit the gas instead of the break, sending the SUV careening into a salon.
Three children and three adults were rushed to a hospital, police said. The driver was also taken to a hospital. Five of the victims suffered serious injuries, an FDNY official said.
Witness Jose Rivera rushed to help after watching the crash, he said. He has some emergency training from his job.
“I checked underneath the car to see if anybody was trapped from the front or the back. Everything was clear,” he said. “I found out who the driver was. I made sure that the driver didn’t go anywhere and we had him. I was on the phone with EMS.”
Video and photos from the scene show the SUV up against the building. Shattered glass covered the sidewalk and the interior of the salon, which sustained damage.
The Department of Buildings sent inspectors to assess the structural stability of the salon. The inspectors determined the building sustained minor non-structural damage from the crash, including a shattered front window, and no further action was ordered, according to a DOB spokesperson.
Fatumata Sow owns the Sister and Son Hair Braiding Salon. The impact busted out the front windows of her shop and caused other damage. She had just stepped out with her newborn baby to grab a bite to eat, She said she is grateful she was not in the salon at the time. Still, she says, as a mother herself, it was hard to watch.
Luis Hernandez Pujol said his 67-year-old mother was one of the victims of the crash. He rushed to the scene after hearing what happened. She broke a leg in the incident, he said. His mother was also cut by glass falling on her.
