A cab driver swerved onto the sidewalk near Rockefeller Center on Tuesday, hitting several pedestrians and hurting one British tourist so badly that she lost her foot.
Pictures of the scene shared on Twitter showed multiple fire engines responded to the scene, as well as a surprise appearance by celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, whose studio is nearby.
RELATED: Sian Green’s Father, Boyfriend, Fly to NYC: Tourist’s Foot Severed in Cab Crash
The taxi came in fast onto the curb, ending up on top of a stone planter. Mohammed Munawar, a witness, told the New York Daily News. “I saw one cyclist flying up about 10 foot, and what I heard is that there is a lady with cut hands and feet also cut out.”
The 23-year-old British tourist, identified as Sian Green, had her foot severed near the tire of the cab. Although it was packed in ice with the help of a hot dog vendor, she had to have her leg amputated at the knee, an NYPD spokeswoman told Gothamist.
The tourist is in stable condition after surgery at Bellevue Hospital, reported Pervaiz Shallwani of the Wall Street Journal. Doctors are trying to save one of her legs.
The cab driver swerved to miss a bicyclist, though it’s unclear if it’s the cyclist that was hit. The bicycle lane on 6th Avenue ends at 42nd Street, four blocks south of where the accident happened, and there is also no bicycle lane on 46th Street.
The cyclist that was hit suffered minor injuries. The cyclist, who is 40 but is remaining anonymous, told DNAInfo that he tried to tell the cab to slow down.
“I told him, ‘Stop,'” said the cyclist, who banged on the hood. “He gets angry. He honked his horn and accelerates.”
A plumber working in the Duane Reade saw the accident during his break and rushed to help the British tourist. David Justino used his belt as a tourniquet, reports the Wall Street Journal. “I took my belt off, put it around her leg … and pulled it as tight as I could until they told me to let go,” Justino said. He said safety training he had while working construction helped him to react quickly.
Dr. Oz said that the woman was bleeding profusely.
The cab driver, Mohammed Himon, hasn’t been charged yet, though police said an investigation is ongoing. The owner of the cab, NYC Taxi Group, were issued an unauthorized driver summons and another summons for having incorrect fare information.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
