Multiple people have been injured, including a child, after a taxi plowed into several pedestrians in New York City’s bustling Herald Square.
The horror unfolded at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and West 34th Street, right outside the iconic multistory Macy’s department store.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the crash was intentional or a simple accident nor how many people were hit, just that several people were taken to local hospitals, all in stable condition.
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Herald Square is a busy hub that features many stores, including the iconic multistory Macy’s
Dean Moses, a reporter for AMNewYork, a local free newspaper, shot videos of the scene, which show first responders gathered around a taxi with its hood popped.
Reports from the Citizen app, which allows residents to report what they witness in real time, indicate that six people, including a child, were injured, which Moses confirmed with local first responders.
The severity of those injuries is yet in question, however — one Citizen report indicates that three sustained minor injuries while three others were seriously hurt. None of the injuries were described as life-threatening, however.
Those injuries were later confirmed by the police, who told ABC7 New York that one individual was taken to Bellevue Hospital and two to Cornell in serious condition. Those taken to Cornell were a 9-year-old boy and 41-year-old woman, presumably a mother-son duo, while a 49-year-old woman was taken to Bellevue.
The other three people injured — the ones not taken to the two aforementioned hospitals — were described as stable. They are ages 19, 37 and 49.
Moses reported that the taxi jumped a curb, which is when it struck the individuals who were injured. The crash happened just after 4 p.m. The police confirmed to CBS News that the taxi jumped the curb.
The police confirmed to ABC7 New York that the driver experienced a medical episode, which caused him to veer off the road. Not much is known beyond that, just that he is a 58-year-old man.
A heavy police presence following the incident led to road closures and severe traffic delays, including for some public transportation modes, including buses. Subway lines didn’t appear to be delayed as a result of the Herald Square incident.
Herald Square attracts thousands of people daily for its shopping, including at the massive Macy’s, which often sees Christmas Day influxes of customers.
