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U-Haul Driver Who Struck Teen Was High, Had License Suspended 16 Times
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 15, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 15, 2015
Modified Jul 24, 2017
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On Friday, a 17-year-old boy was listed in critical condition after he was struck by a U-Haul truck driver in The Bronx. Police now say the driver had stolen the truck and was high at the time of the collision, and had had his license suspended 16 times in the past.
Police say that 36-year-old Efrain Rodriguez had taken methadone before striking the teen around 8:40 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Southern Boulevard and Barretto Street near the Bruckner Expressway. Before the collision, Rodriguez had allegedly struck another vehicle on Bruckner Boulevard, then sped away. About a block later, he hit the teenager as he was crossing the street, and then smashed into a parked silver Honda Civic.
"He didn't bother going towards the kid," an eyewitness told ABC about the scene after the incident. "The U-Haul guy, tried to turn on the car and shift the car like he was going to leave. Me and some other guys told him, 'Don't move the car, get the hell out of the car, you aren't leaving.'"
An official told ABC that the teen did not have the light, but was in the crosswalk when he was struck.
Rodriguez has been charged with criminal possession of stolen property, operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, reckless driving, and aggravated unlicensed operation. The teen is still listed in critical condition as of Sunday morning.
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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