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Hutchinson River Parkway Crash Leaves 2 Dead, Several Injured

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Two people were killed early Saturday, and at least three others were injured, in a crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx.

As 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported, the three-vehicle crash happened shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday on the Hutchinson River Parkway at Orchard Beach Road, in the Pelham Bay section of the Bronx, officials told 1010 WINS.

Hutchinson River Parkway Crash Leaves 2 Dead, 4 Injured

Two people were killed, two others were hospitalized with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, and two more were hospitalized with minor injuries, authorities said.

Hutchinson River Parkway Crash Leaves 2 Dead, 4 Injured

As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, authorities said a 45-year-old man driving a black Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle likely was speeding north on the parkway, when the driver hit the guardrail and went airborne into the southbound lanes.

The SUV then came crashing down in the Lincoln Towncar livery cab, and the two people inside were killed. The deceased have been identified as Ata Noorzi, 51, of Queens, who was driving the livery cab, and Patrick Sheehan, 54, of Larchmont, who was the passenger.

Rafael Ramos was driving a few cars behind when the accident happened.

"We just saw the dead people in the taxi," he said, "We saw the smoke and tried to help the people."

The cab was nearly sliced in half, and then a third vehicle – a white sport-utility vehicle – crashed as the driver tried to avoid the Explorer on the roadway.

A 49-year-old woman was driving the white GMC SUV, with a 15-year-old boy in the passenger seat.

The drivers of both SUVs and the boy were taken to Jacobi Medical Center. The driver of the white SUV had minor injuries and the driver of the black SUV was listed in stable condition, CBS 2's Burrell reported.

Following the crash, the Explorer was seen overturned and smashed on its roof on top of a guardrail on the parkway.

CBS 2's Janelle Burrell spoke with some of the people who witnessed the accident.

"The van flipped over the guardrail and took the top of the limo off with the driver and passengers in the limo," another man said. "That's all I know, so it's pretty devastating."

"He's upside-down on the southbound side. I don't understand how he did it," a man who lives in the area added, speaking to WCBS 880's Hall. "He must have been speeding."

Hutchinson River Parkway Fatal Crash
Two people were killed and four more were injured in a crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx on Saturday, Nov. 9. (Credit: Sophia Hall/WCBS 880)

The Hutchinson River Parkway was closed in both directions for several hours between Boston Road and the Hutchinson River drawbridge Saturday morning as police investigated the accident.

Further details were not immediately available but police were investigating whether speed or alcohol played a role in the crash which investigators confirmed was set off by the black SUV.

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