A Perth mother has recalled the moment she and her son were almost crushed to death by a taxi in a “horrible” accident in the heart of New York City on Christmas Day.
Rebecca Stewart, 41, and her son Tyler, nine, were on their way to dinner when they became trapped under a taxi outside the Macy’s department store in Midtown Manhattan around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
The taxi driver lost control of the vehicle during an alleged medical episode, causing it to drive onto the sidewalk and hit the couple and five other people.
Passers-by rushed to help push the taxi after Ms Stewart’s husband shouted for help.
Mrs. Stewart suffered injuries to her head and legs, while her son suffered a serious laceration to his right thigh and both were rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Police confirmed the other injured were the 58-year-old driver and three women, aged 19, 37 and 49, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Witnesses say the boy’s leg was trapped under the wheel of the still spinning taxi and Mrs Stewart said his head would have been crushed if the taxi had not stopped after crashing into a lamp post.
Rebecca Stewart, 41, and her son Tyler, nine, were trapped under a taxi outside the Macy’s department store in Midtown Manhattan around 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Passers-by rushed to help free the couple by manually pushing the taxi after Ms Stewart’s husband began screaming for help.
Mrs Stewart said all she could do was hold her son’s hand as passers-by tried to take the taxi away from them.
“I felt a huge impact behind me and the next thing I knew I was face down on the pavement,” Stewart said. told 7News.
“I was holding my son’s hand and I could hear him screaming.
‘I could hear my husband shouting, asking everyone to take the car away from us. “It was pretty horrible.”
Ms Stewart has since been released from hospital, but Tyler is still receiving treatment for his serious leg injuries.
tyler He suffered severe burns and a tear injury due to the tire spinning on his leg.
A tear injury is a traumatic injury that occurs when skin and tissue separate from the underlying bone, muscle, or connective tissue.
Surgical staff have already operated on Tyler twice and it is expected that he will need more operations, including a skin graft.
Ms Stewart suffered head and leg injuries and Tyler suffered a serious injury to his leg where the taxi’s wheel had landed.
Video of the incident filmed by others nearby captured about a dozen good Samaritans removing the couple’s car after turning off the engine.
Ryan Tucker, 45, whose wife was hit by the taxi, told local newspaper amNewYork that the taxi’s wheels were still spinning when it stopped.
“That’s when we ripped the fender off, pushed the car back and there was a little boy,” Tucker said.
I grabbed it and sat in a corner. In the end his dad came running over and then I sat with him and talked to him for three or four minutes just to make sure he was okay.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Australian officials are providing assistance to the mother and her son.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to two Australians in the United States of America,” the spokesperson said.
“Due to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment.”
Images from the scene showed significant damage to the front of the cabin.
An NYPD spokesperson did not elaborate on what type of medical episode the 58-year-old taxi driver may have experienced, but said no foul play was suspected.
The man has been taken to hospital in stable condition for further evaluation.
An investigation into the incident is underway.