Several Injured In Pile-Up On Bronx River Parkway, Drivers Blame Slick Roads
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are investigating a multi-vehicle crash on the Bronx River Parkway that happened Saturday afternoon, likely as a result of the snow.
The road was back open as of 7 p.m. after hours of clean-up, but drivers say when the 15-vehicle crash happened around 1:30 p.m., they couldn't see more than a quarter of a mile ahead of them.
The parkway looked more like a congested parking lot Saturday as first responders tried clearing a mangled pile-up of cars. Brandon Deshields was caught in the middle of the chain-reaction crash. He says there was no time to react.
"I seen pretty much a car stop in front of me and to avoid it, I switched lanes. When I switched lanes, someone behind me ran into the back of my car. And it caused me to slide and hit another car and that was it," he said.
Paramedics say a total of eight people suffered injuries, their conditions ranging from minor to life-threatening. Witnesses told CBSN New York's Christina Fan dozens of cars were involved and the slick roads were to blame. Many drivers say low visibility on Saturday kept them off the roads.
"There was no salt on the floor, like at all. At all. This weather's really tricky. Everybody needs to be safe, pay attention to where you guys are going, drive slow and definitely press your brakes," Brianna Almodovar said.
"I'm not gonna drive today because I know it's just better to be safe than sorry," said Kayla Rodriguez.
While only one inch of snow fell in parts of the city, most of the precipitation stuck to the ground because of the low temperature.
Of the several people taken to the hospital, at least one suffered life-threatening injuries and six others are still in serious condition.
