9 Injured In Crash On New England Thruway In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Nine people were injured Friday morning in a one-vehicle crash on the New England Thruway in the Bronx.
It happened just after 5 a.m. near the Connor Street exit in Baychester. The vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, slammed head-on into a wall near the exit ramp on the northbound side of the thruway.
9 Injured In Crash On New England Thruway In The Bronx
Surveillance video from across the street shows the emergency response moments later.
"I feel terrible for the people. Horrible. It was mangled in a million pieces. The impact had to be enormous," witness Andre Campanile said.
"Everybody came out for the store to see -- big noise you know -- so then they see somebody call the police coming," witness Balkar Sangh added
All the victims, six men and three women between the ages of 24 and 36, were taken to Jacobi Medical Center.
Six of the victims, including the driver, a 32-year-old man from Rockland County, were listed in critical condition, CBS 2's Kathryn Brown reported.
Sources said the passengers were all Bronx residents, 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reported.
The SUV was licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission, but police sources told Brown the driver may have had his driver's license revoked.
Investigators said they were looking into whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role in the crash.
Police spent hours carefully looking over the wreckage, examining skid marks and re-creating the accident.
"My understanding is that excessive speed was probably a significant factor in that incident," NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said.
Witnesses said the sharply curved ramp off Exit 13 is a hot spot for accidents.
"This exit is actually known for that because people take that exit way too fast all the time, so there's always kinds of accident," Campanile said.
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