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[UPDATE] National Guard Truck Fatally Strikes Pedestrian On Canal Street
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 6, 2012
Modified Nov 7, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 6, 2012
Modified Nov 7, 2012
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[UPDATE BELOW] An unidentified man is in critical condition after being struck by a National Guard vehicle this afternoon. Witness Tim Coleman was working as a PA for a film shoot near the intersection of Canal and Centre streets at around 1:24 p.m. and noticed a "convoy" of National Guard vehicles driving west down Canal. "I was talking to two people on the street, when out of the corner of my eye stuff starts flying into the air," Coleman tells us. "I see a guy on the ground, most of his body is under the truck, and blood starts pooling out of the back of his head. I realized, 'Oh, God, the stuff that was in the air was the man's bags.' "
Coleman added that the National Guardsman jumped out of their vehicles "immediately" to aid the man, and that police and paramedics arrived "not even a minute" later to perform CPR. The FDNY confirms that the victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital and that his injuries were life-threatening. The National Guard's public affairs office has not yet returned requests for comment, and the NYPD's press office is looking into the matter. We'll update when more information becomes available.
National Guard truck just hit a pedestrian at Canal and Centre. One injured, taken to hospital. Block closed. twitter.com/samgustin/stat…
— Sam Gustin (@samgustin) November 6, 2012
[UPDATE / 4:59 PM] Though an NYPD spokesman tells us, "My understanding is that the victim is still alive," J. David Goodman of the New York Times as well as The Daily News are reporting that the victim, an 82-year-old man, has died.
National Guard unit is from Ohio. I just spoke to two of the soldiers, one of whom is a firefighter back home.
— Sam Gustin (@samgustin) November 6, 2012
"He just ran out in front of the truck," one of the soldiers told me. "Nobody looks left or right before crossing the street here."
— Sam Gustin (@samgustin) November 6, 2012
"They were conducting a resupply mission when this unfortunate accident occurred,” National Guard spokesman said
— jdavidgoodman (@jdavidgoodman) November 6, 2012
A witness told The Daily News that the truck was racing to make the light when it struck the unidentified man: “It’s the driver’s fault. He tried to catch up and that’s when he hit him.”
[UPDATE 2] The NYPD has identified the victim as Queens resident Kwok Fu.
Tagged
canal street
Chinatown
national guard
pedestrian struck
original
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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