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Cab and Bus Collide, Injuring Two and Setting Off Series of Fender Benders

By Trevor Kapp | July 8, 2013 10:43am
 An MTA bus and taxi smashed into each other on Monday, setting off a series of collisions.
Cab and Bus Collide on Upper West Side
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UPPER WEST SIDE — West 66th Street looked more like the bumper car section at Coney Island Monday morning after an MTA bus sideswiped a cab, which then plowed into a minivan, setting off a series of fender benders, witnesses said.

Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken to Roosevelt Hospital following the accident on West 66th Street and Freedom Place about 8:15 a.m., officials said.

The smashups occurred when a bus that was pulling out of a stop made contact with the rear passenger side door of a taxi, spinning the vehicle out of control, witnesses said.

The cab then rammed into a Honda Odyssey parked across the street, which then backed into a Nissan Altima, which then made contact with a Lexus. In all, five vehicles sustained damage.

“I was going east, then the bus moved without looking,” said the cabbie, Abdul Salam, 62. “I hit the front of the bus and lost control. The car swerved back and forth… and hit the Honda.”

Salam escaped with a minor cut on his forehead. He said his passengers were terrified by the chaos.

“It was terrible,” he said. “It was my first time in an accident like this in 25 years.”