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FDNY, NYPD: Motorcyclist Wasn't Killed When We Dropped Car On Him
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 2, 2011
Modified Sep 2, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 2, 2011
Modified Sep 2, 2011
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First responders with the FDNY and NYPD say the motorcycle rider pinned under a car after an accident in Brooklyn yesterday morning died from injuries sustained during the crash—not because the car slipped off its jack during the rescue attempt. The Ford Taurus that hit him had been raised up about four feet when it fell, and a witness says she saw firefighters arguing with each other. The car slipped, and she heard one of the firefighters shout, "What the f--- is wrong with you?!"
But an NYPD source tells the Post that both departments wooden had put chocks in place, which kept the car from crushing City College student Karam Rampersaud. He'd been riding his Kawasaki Ninja to school when he collided with the Taurus, which turned in front of him on Loring Avenue at Forbell Street and dragged him almost 30 feet before the 70-year-old driver stopped. "He was wiggling his hands like he wanted help," witness Javanna Lewi tells the News. "He was all broken up underneath. His legs were twisted."
The Post has obtained upsetting cell phone video of the car falling, but it's unclear whether it crushed Rampersaud, or if he was in fact protected by the chocks. "I'm not going against them," Rampersaud's grandfather told the News. "They save a lot of lives. But one mistake. Lifting a car off a man is not like lifting a cardboard box—a car is heavy."
The driver of the Taurus—who was reportedly in hysterics at the scene and yelling at EMTs after the car fell—was issued a summons for failing to yield.
Tagged
car accident
fdny
karam rampersaud
motorcycles
nypd
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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