There are several follow-up stories to
yesterday's horrific crash at First Avenue and Third Street. At the
Post, six reporters got a byline for their report. A few details
from their piece:
The injured:
Preston Krupin, 71, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with neck and back injuries after the out-of-control cab mowed him down as he sat in The Bean on First Avenue and Third Street around 1:20 a.m.
Krupin, who lives near the shop, was in serious but stable condition yesterday morning, but hours later, doctors performed a lengthy operation. He was said to be in recovery last night.
The accident occurred as cabby Syed Nazir, 49, was driving up First Avenue with a passenger, Kristin Kunkel, in the back seat.
He collided with a Jeep Cherokee driven by Robert Batista, 19, who was trying to turn onto the avenue from East Third Street.
Nazir swerved, but hit the Jeep anyway, and then jumped a bike lane and curb.
He hit two men riding bicycles, and finally stopped after smashing through The Bean's front window.
"All I remember is that he was swerving," said Kunkel, 30, who lives in Midtown. "I put my hands in front of my face, and the next thing I knew, I was in the coffee shop.
The young woman lost two front teeth in the crash.
The two bicyclists were in stable condition. Nazir suffered back and neck injuries.
Batista kept going after the accident, but then pulled over and stepped out, looking dazed, one witness said.
Police administered blood-alcohol tests to the drivers, and the results for both were negative.
The scene:
Jordyn Thiessen, who lives across the street from the site, called it a "devastating scene."
"I was helping hold one of the bicyclists. He was on his side bleeding profusely from his head," she said. "I was saying prayers that everyone would be OK."
Thiessen added that First Avenue has had at least three accidents in the last month since a concrete barrier had been installed to create a separate lane for bicyclists.
"I think a lot of people are really thrown off," by the changes, she said.
One of the incidents she described involved a pedestrian getting struck by a cyclist.
"The bicyclists are not following the rules," she said. "They are going through red lights. They are just speeding along the way."
Police were not able to immediately confirm the incidents she cited.
The reconfiguration of First Avenue for bike lanes is currently being discussed in the comments
here.
