Police: 22-year-old man struck several times, killed on Major Deegan Expressway
NEW YORK -- Police said a 22-year-old driver was killed early Sunday morning in an accident on the Major Deegan Expressway.
It was a traffic nightmare in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx. The Deegan was closed for hours after the horrific crash, which left behind debris and mangled cars.
"Whole bunch of cops just going straight to the highway," a witness named Albert said.
That's what some witnesses saw at around 4:15 a.m. Police said it started when 22-year-old Justin Francisco stopped his Honda in the southbound left lane just before Exit 10 to inspect the car moments after he hit the dividing wall.
Seconds later, a 61-year-old in a Subaru heading southbound also in the left lane smashed into the disabled Honda, pushing the vehicle forward and slamming it into Francisco.
Investigators said it happened so fast Francisco was thrown over the barrier to the northbound side and then he was hit a second time by a Jeep. Francisco died at the scene.
"Wow, that's so sad," a building superintendent named Armadio said.
Armadio said he saw the aftermath as a portion of the Deegan was closed off.
"Just cops blocking the highway, the Deegan, and then the fire trucks on the other side, and there was traffic," he said.
Detectives said of the other people taken to the hospital, the driver of the Jeep was in critical condition, which was unsettling news to some who live nearby.
"There are a lot of accidents here," Amadio said. "It's speeding, a lot of speeding around here."
"I've had an accident there, myself. It was a hit-and-run," the witness named Albert added.
The New York State Thruway Authority says if your vehicle becomes disabled, move it off the roadway to a safe location and wait for help to arrive.