An elderly man was killed and two women were injured when a flatbed truck careened onto a sidewalk in Manhattan's Chinatown on Thursday morning. The incident occurred around 10:20 a.m. at the intersection of Bowery Street and Canal Street.
The truck, laden with wooden pallets, mounted the curb and struck three pedestrians. The deceased victim was 77 years old, and the two injured women were 71 and 52. All three were transported to Bellevue Hospital, where the 77-year-old man was pronounced dead. The women were reported to be in stable condition.
The driver, a 66-year-old man, was turning right from Canal Street onto Bowery when the vehicle went onto the sidewalk. He continued for a short distance before colliding with a sedan and coming to a stop near Hester Street.
Law enforcement sources indicated that the driver was given a field sobriety test at the scene and showed no overt signs of impairment. He was taken into custody but had not been charged as of Thursday afternoon.
The NYPD's Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad is investigating the incident. Video from the scene reportedly showed the truck moving faster than other traffic and making contact with another vehicle prior to hitting the pedestrians and the sedan.