MANHATTAN — A cab smashed into scaffolding on the Upper West Side Tuesday afternoon, sending debris raining down on the sidewalk, officials said.
Emergency responders flooded the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 106th Street following the accident just after 2 p.m., an FDNY spokesman said.
"This cab crashed into the scaffolding about 5 min after I left the corner," tweeted @adriennethe10. "Thank you #angels for protection."
One person suffered a minor injury, but refused medical attention, the FDNY said. It was not clear if there was any criminality.
Henry Serreira, a 19-year-old truck driver, was driving on Amsterdam Avenue at 105th Street when he said a cab pulled in front of him.
"I was at the red light and I waited for the green light. Next thing I know the cab hit me on the right," he said. "Then he kept going straight and then he ran into the blue scaffolding."
But yellow cabbie Pema Pema, 39, said the van was speeding and hit him from behind, propelling him into the scaffolding.
"I thought I was dead," he said. "I saw all the metal coming down on top of me." Pema walked away uninjured.
Mike Sallon, who owns Mario's Gourmet Deli, on the corner, said that his chef just missed getting hit.
"Thank God my chef just came up from the basement [before the scaffolding fell,]" he said.
Alex Medvedev, 57, lives above the deli said he wasn't surprised by the accident.
"This is a really dangerous intersection," he said. "I've seen police cars crash into each other at this intersection."
