Teen Critically Injured After Being Struck By U-Haul Truck In The Bronx
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A teenage boy was critically hurt Friday morning, after being hit by a U-Haul truck in the Bronx.
As CBS2's Meg Baker reported, Amary Milan, 17, was on his way to school at the time of the accident. On Friday afternoon, he was in surgery.
The accident happened around 8:38 a.m. at the intersection of Southern Boulevard and Barretto Street in the Longwood section of the Bronx.
Witnesses said Milan was walking in the crosswalk trying to cross Southern Boulevard when the U-Haul ran a yellow light and struck him.
"When he went to go cross, that truck right there, it was going too fast. Right when the kid went to go look at the truck -- boom! The kid just flew," witness Christine Bonaparte told CBS2's Meg Baker. "When I came over here to see what happened, the kid was thrown on the floor, he was all full of blood and everything. It was a tragedy."
Milan was severely hurt, flying more than 10 feet from where he was hit.
"The impact was so hard, the kid's body flew and I thought he was going to land on my truck," another witness told 1010 WINS' Al Jones.
The truck then collided with a parked sedan, and both vehicles then jumped the curb, sending the sedan into the Guadalajara Beauty Salon, at 907 Southern Blvd. No one was hurt in the crash into the building.
"The first big bang I heard was when the truck hit the kid. After that, two seconds later, you hear the bang from (the crash)," Bonaparte said.
Police said Efram Rodriguez, 36, was driving the U-Haul on a suspended license. Police said he had hit another parked car earlier in the day on Bruckner Boulevard and just kept going.
As for Milan, school officials said he was on his way to Samuel Gompers High School a few blocks away at the time.
"One thing I tell everyone around here is to just be a little cautious on how they cross, because not a lot of people are cautious in how they drive," Milan said.
And despite being hit by two vehicles, the façade of the beauty shop was barely damaged and it was back in business late Friday afternoon.
Rodriguez was arrested following the accident, police said. Milan was being treated at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center.