STATEN ISLAND — An MTA officer was struck by a car and critically injured Sunday on the lower roadway of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, officials said.
Bridges and Tunnels officer Thomas Choi had parked his truck near the entrance to the lower level of the bridge at 7:45 a.m. on the Staten Island side when he was hit.
The lower portion of the crossing is closed at midnight on weekends and reopens at 8 a.m., and Choi was removing barrels blocking the roadway when he was struck by a Nissan Maxima.
The driver, a 26-year-old woman from Bayonne, N.J. stayed on the scene.
Choi, a 10-year veteran of the force, was catapulted 10 feet in the air by the impact, the MTA said. He suffered severe pelvic and head injuries and was unconscious when he was rushed to Staten Island University North Hospital, officials said.
“The entire Bridges and Tunnels family is saddened by this tragic event," said Bridges and Tunnels President Jim Ferrara.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Choi, his family and all of his colleagues who work with him daily.”
An investigation into what caused the crash is ongoing, and the driver and her four passengers were uninjured, the MTA said.
