Two pedestrians were injured and the 83-year-old driver was taken to the hospital after a car became stuck between Justino's Pizza and a fire hydrant on the sidewalk at West 57th Street and 9th Avenue.
Nearby residents heard the crash. “I heard one big crash and then just a second later I heard an even bigger crash,” said Juli Oliver, who lives down the block from the crash. “I'm surprised Justino's wasn't hurt.”
The incident happened in Hell's Kitchen just after 5pm on Thursday evening. Police say the car an 83-year-old woman was in crashed into the back of a parked car and then lost control. The car struck a fire hydrant before coming to rest on the sidewalk, inches from the front wall of the pizza parlor.
Police said a 39-year-old man was struck by a vehicle and complained of pain in his leg but refused medical treatment, while a 41-year-old man was struck by shrapnel and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital with a laceration to his leg.
The driver of the four-door black Acura TL sedan with New York license plates was taken to Cornell University for a medical examination. Traffic in the area returned to normal after the car was towed away around 8 p.m.
