The driver of a Nissan Titan drove onto a New York sidewalk Monday evening, injuring two pedestrians, running over a fire hydrant and stopping only after plowing into a UPS delivery van. Thankfully, the two victims are expected to survive, but they were both taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, and the extent of their injuries is currently unknown, ABC7NY reports.
The crash occurred at about 4:50 p.m. at the corner of West 148th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Hamilton Heights. Video from the scene shows a Nissan Titan jump the curb too fast for the victims to escape safely, plowing through them, hitting a fire hydrant and hitting the delivery van so hard, the truck pushed it out into the street. The good news is, the toppled fire hydrant didn’t begin gushing water, which would have only made the entire scene worse.
“It was like she hit the gas, flew on the sidewalk, boom. I was in my apartment. I thought it was a water main that erupted. I looked out the window, saw the guy on the floor,” witness Jason Ebanks told ABC7NY.
The driver has not been named, but her passenger, Aldo Sorcia, said he was trying to teach her to park in an empty space when she mixed up the brake and the accelerator. The fact that she was only just learning to drive suggests she may be a minor, which would explain why she hasn’t been named. It is also unclear whether any charges will be filed. Hopefully, at the very least, she learned to stop driving and just take the damn subway.
It’s also a great reminder that no one is safe from dangerous drivers. You can walk on the sidewalk and cross at designated intersections when you have the signal all you want, but every minute you’re outside and not in a car could easily be your last. It doesn’t have to be this way, of course. We know what needs to be done, but it’s going to take a lot of political will to make those things happen.