3 Teens Injured In Crash In Middle Village, Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Three teenage girls were hurt, one critically, after a car slammed into a pole in Queens on Wednesday.
The crash happened on a road that locals say is known for speeding.
PJ Marcel told CBS2's Jessica Layton his niece Breanna Popovici live-streamed a video seconds before her teenage friend crashed her Honda at the corner of Cook Avenue and 73rd Place in Middle Village.
In the video, a passenger can be heard screaming, "Victoria, stop! Victoria, I'm telling your mother!" at the young driver, who's laughing.
"Doing probably double the speed limit, losing control," Marcel said.
The screen goes black as the car apparently slams into the utility pole.
"Causing the damage to the passenger side beyond recognition," Marcel said.
That's where Popovici was sitting. She suffered severe head trauma.
"Right now, the family's at Elmhurst Hospital. They're very distraught," Marcel said.
NYPD just towed the Honda that was involved in a serious crash in Queens today - leaving one teenage girl with brain swelling. @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/mO6tagoRtH
— Jessica Layton (@JLaytonTV) August 15, 2019
"I heard a loud boom," neighbor Barney Marrone said.
Marrone's home surveillance camera began recording as he ran outside, yelling for the girls to move back, afraid the car would explode.
"She said her friend is in the car, so I jog over. And I walk over the car and I notice I can't do anything because the girl was trapped," he said. "I was holding her head because I didn't want her head... She was bleeding everywhere, and uh, it was just chaotic."
Marrone stayed with her until the FDNY began its frantic rescue. They eventually freed Popovici with the Jaws of Life while her friends looked on, hysterical.
Marrone: "It was rough."
Layton: "You did good."
Marrone: "Yeah, I hope."
Neighbors say cars speed up and down 73rd Place every day.
"I think that there should be, like, speed bumps, maybe even, like, a speed camera," neighbor Dana Bates said.
Bates was hit by a speeding vehicle in the area in April. Her mom hopes this incident gets the DOT to make changes, but for now, they're all praying Popovici pulls through.
"My heart goes out to those parents right now," Tina Bates said.
Popovici remains in critical condition. Her friends do not have serious injuries.