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More Video: Times Square Movie Car Crash Up Close
By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2009
Modified May 5, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published May 5, 2009
Modified May 5, 2009
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The two pedestrians struck by an out-of-control Ferrari during a Times Square car chase for the latest Nic Cage abomination The Sorcerer's Apprentice (a live-action adaptation of part of Fantasia) are talking to the press about the incident, and the Post has obtained better video, shot from the sidewalk where the stunt driver crashed into the Sbarro.
Though Seventh Avenue was closed to traffic in Times Square on Sunday night for the production, the sidewalks were open, and that's where 22-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant Salma Sheuly had her brush with death. She tells the Post she owes her life to her co-worker at the Phantom of Broadway gift shop: "The car hit me in my right thigh, and I fell down. If my friend didn't pull me back, I would have been in front of the car. God saved me—that's why he sent me an angel."
Mamadou Babaou, a 24-year-old Senegalese immigrant, was also injured when a pole knocked over by the Ferrari fell on him, but police sources tell Newsday that two witnesses saw him throw himself to the ground after the pole was struck, suggesting he may be faking his head injury. Babaou says, "I hear a lot of sound[s] in my head and my back is killing me. I was thinking I was dying. It was crazy. I passed out....I'd like to talk to [the movie producers] to tell them to be more careful, to watch what they're doing." Disney has issued a statement saying "all safety regulations were followed," but has not apologized for the accident, nor for perpetuating the career of Nicolas Cage.
Tagged
crash
nic cage
sorcerer's apprentice
Times Square
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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