Photo by Spence Halperin.
A taxi and another vehicle collided on 79th street and Broadway around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and one person had back pain following the crash, according to council member Helen Rosenthal. It’s not clear if the injured person was in the cab or the other car, but the cabbie was clearly upset when Krista Kapalko saw him just after the crash. She shot the video below and told us in an email that he was inconsolable.
I was walking up Broadway to 79th and saw smoke..then I heard some loud screaming/crying as I got closer to the subway….I thought someone was hurt and in some pain.When I got up to the corner I saw the Taxi driver inside his cab performing some big loud crying-whoas…with his hands on top his head. I don’t think he was hurt. I realized he just started his “worst day ever”…and probably not going to do well after this incident.The other driver got out (wearing turban) and I think the other person was a passerby or possibly a passenger of the taxi… Both were making sure the cab driver wasn’t hurt because of his loud anguished crying which sounded more like he was in pain. He stopped wailing just short of me taking this video… but I really don’t think this guy was consolable!  His career as taxi driver….. I think…. came to a close today.
We also heard about crashes elsewhere in the neighborhood on Wednesday, but we’re still following up on those (if you know anything, email us):
#manhattan #NYC (19:02 local time) #NYPD reports Pedestrian Struck. Columbus Ave & W 92nd St @westsiderag #UWS
— Peter Moreno (@KandHSecurity) January 14, 2016
#manhattan #NYC (19:19 local time) #NYPD report Pedestrian Struck. Broadway & W 96th St @westsiderag #UWS
— Peter Moreno (@KandHSecurity) January 14, 2016
Thank you Krista for providing footage and Peter Moreno for reporting via Twitter.
This is ridiculous! Did you even see the accident? And you presume to know the details? And the comment on his career? And the “turban” comment? Shame on you. and WSR for this trashy report.
I took a video…man driving the taxi was wearing a turban. I was describing what the man wearing the turban was doingin the video. The westide rag does not post video..but I submitted it to them just the same.
Shame on you for not reading my quote as being accurate and making assumptions. I would report a pink scarf if he was wearing it.
The reason she mentioned the turban was to point out who in the video she was referring to. WSR
Yeah. Shoddy work, WSR. I’m done with y’all.
Can you do that much damage at 25 mph?
Wonder how fast over the speed limit he was driving.
Yes..25 mph can do damage..just ask Sam Kinison.
I didn’t know about Sam Kinison and had to look it up. He slowed to 25 mph but was hit by a driver going 70, is that right? That’s terrible – the poor guy.
Don’t worry about the cabbie, he still has a long career ahead of him. In this town if you drive a yellow cab you can get away with just about anything.
Re: “…drive a yellow cab….”
Which recalls the bad-old-days when “yellow” (medalioned) taxis were accused of refusing to serve Manahatta above 96th Street and seldom venturing into “The Outer Boros”.
This prejudice turned out to be an economic advantage for ‘car services’ which popped-up to serve people-of-color in areas like Washington Heights, Harlem, etc. (and which serve as a great plot device for the wonderful Broadway musical “In the Heights”, by “Hamilton’s” creator and star, Lin Manuel Miranda).
One of those car services, calling itself “DANITE” {Da(y)-Nite} used the great slogan, “We’re NOT Yellow; We Go Anywhere!”
Of course, this was all before the Bloomberg administration’s push for the creation of those ‘lime-green’ Outer Boro Taxis, providing yet another economic opportunity…even though aesthetes often wish the city had opted for a better color than that ‘Chalooshus’ lime green!
“The other driver got out (wearing turban) ” I don’t see how wearing a turban is relevant to this story.
It was — and was clearly presented as — a report of third-party description of the events.
Chastise the third party for speaking incorrectly, not the reporter.
The third party didn’t speak incorrectly. Watching the video one might wonder who is the can driver. He’s the one in the turban. That was her reason for mentioning it.
Lana Turner wore turbans too. No one complained.
It’s relevant to the video.
A nice man, wearing a turban who appears to be the other driver, is tyring to console the taxi driver, (who apparently may have hit a pedestrian) according to the other accounts.
Krista’s account is very accurate. It’s people who lack reading comprehension skills and the patience to absorb all the information properly.
It’s in the video. It was what the nice man was wearing…the one who was checking on the taxi driver’s welfare.
Why is everyone so hell-bent out of shape because I described WHO the one decent driver was?
Seriously. Get a grip. I find the nicest people in NYC are the ones wearing turbans…apparently you all have an issue with people with turbans! I don’t..I proudly give the man credit…YES he was wearing a TURBAN..it’s not a bad word..or a cuss word. He proudly wears it…why are you embarrased to say it?
Would you all get bent out of shape if I described the good samaritan who was wearing a catholic cross icon on a baseball cap?..because if he was the one in the video..I would probably point that out as the obvious marker because he was wearing it. As opposed to, you know, them both wearing black coats.
Sheesh..a lot of people here need an enema!
These drives are so impatient! And most don’t know or care to stop in the middle if there is a red light. They are always crossing opposing traffic when they don’t have the light. Why can’t we get more traffic cops around here?
What is the law when turning left from Browadway? Can you cross the divide and opposing lane of traffic when the N/S lights on Broadway are green or are you supposed to sit in the intersection until the crosstown light turn green?
If the median is less than 30′ wide (I think) and doesn’t have a dedicated traffic controlling device (stop sign or traffic light) the motorist may complete the turn without stopping. Of course, the turning motorist HAS to yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians on the crosswalk.
Thanks Zulu. The median on Broadway at 79th doesn’t look 30 feet wide to me. MJ’s comment about most not knowing they have to stop shows a problem. Many of us are uncertain of the law or certain but incorrect.
No problem. I can’t seem to find the law but I’ve read on several sources that if in fact the median is less than 30′ wide the intersection is only considered as one and the turning motorist can follow through the turn as long as it is clear (from vehicles and pedestrians). The median on Broadway is roughly 20′ wide. Contrary to the median on Park Ave. where in fact those are two traffic controlled intersections back to back and motorists must stop upon turning left.
“Why can’t we get more traffic cops around here?”
“More”? Why can’t we get *any*??