Three people were reportedly killed after a drunk motorist ran over nine people who were enjoying the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side on Thursday, according to police and sources.
Law enforcement sources report that a gray Ford F-150 traveling at high speed crashed through the junction of Jackson Street and Water Street, over the sidewalk, and into the green area as several families were inside Corlears Hook Park.
A witness from the neighborhood, who was at the park with their spouse and sister-in-law, told the New York Post that the victims were having a barbecue close to the bleachers of the baseball field, which is situated right across the street from a stop sign that was struck by the truck.
When emergency personnel first arrived on the spot, the 5,000-pound pick-up was still lying on top of four victims. They were released using floor jacks, cribbing, and airbags – and later sent to NYU Langone, Bellevue (where the driver is currently hospitalized), Mount Sinai Beth Israel, and New York Presbyterian Downtown.
According to FDNY Chief Michael Myers, two women and one man died from their wounds, whereas four people are seriously injured and three more are in critical condition. Two had minimal injury treatment.
Among the survivors were a woman and her two children, but authorities were unable to confirm if they were the ones who were trapped beneath the intoxicated driver’s truck.
