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Storytime: A Mysterious Four Car Pileup In Williamsburg
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 28, 2011
Modified Apr 28, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 28, 2011
Modified Apr 28, 2011
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Gothamist reader Trevor Bittinger sent us these photos of a peculiar scene he happened upon while perambulating Williamsburg on Easter Sunday around 6 p.m. He tells us that as he strolled along North 10th Street between Berry Street and Bedford Avenue, "I noticed these vehicles, all pretty smashed up. First the black jeep, then the sedan, then the MTA mobile wash unit, then an SUV, then a huge dent in the garage door and brick wall. It was very surreal because no one was there, except for another guy taking some photos of the vehicles. He didn't know what had happened either. It looked like the aftermath of a horrible accident, yet there was no one around to explain what had happened."A crowd forms!
People were gathering, checking out these mysteriously smashed up vehicles, curious to know what had happened. Then another guy shows up and fills us in. Apparently the first car is his, and the accident happened at around 5 a.m. Sunday morning. The MTA mobile wash unit truck came down the street and sideswiped the sedan, then hit the jeep, pushing it onto the curb and into the tree. Then hit the rear of the SUV, pushing it forward, and then finally into the building's garage door/brick wall.
So, the MTA truck was going fast enough to hit 3 parked vehicles, moving them out of the way and still have enough speed to hit the brick wall and do that much damage to the door and the front of the MTA truck. He must have been flying. Was he wasted, or did he have a seizure? Inquiring minds want to know.
The NYPD couldn't or wouldn't provide any information about this, but an MTA spokesman tells us, "NYPD was called and took a report. The cleaner/driver was escorted to our Medical Assessment Center for a Blood and Alcohol test immediately following the incident. He was clean. There was nothing suspicious about the incident, and thankfully, no injuries. We will make restitution to the owners of the parked vehicles that were damaged."
So there you have it, Mr. Bittinger. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Unfortunately, as you can see from these photos, grown men still think it's acceptable to appear in public wearing flip-flops. COME ON!
Tagged
accident
gallery
mta mobile wash unit
williamsburg
williamsburg crash
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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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