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Sanitation Truck and Taxi Crash in Midtown, Injuring 3, Officials Say

By  Dana Varinsky and Aidan Gardiner | October 18, 2013 8:14am | Updated on October 18, 2013 11:15am

 A taxi driver was seriously injured after a crash in Midtown Friday morning, officials and witnesses said.
A taxi driver was seriously injured after a crash in Midtown Friday morning, officials and witnesses said.
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Jimmy Sanchez

MIDTOWN — Three people were injured when a garbage truck and taxi slammed into each other in Midtown Friday morning, officials and witnesses said.

The two vehicles collided near Sixth Avenue and West 45th Street about 2:22 a.m., FDNY and NYPD officials said.

"Half of the taxi from the front was very damaged," said Kimo Hasanen, who was working at a nearby halal stand at the time. 

The 61-year-old cab driver suffered head, chest and back injuries and was in serious condition, police said. Hasanen said he saw him get out of the taxi covered in blood.

"He looked really bad," said Jimmy Sanchez, a nearby coffee cart worker, who arrived shortly after the crash and saw the cab driver.

The 33-year-old truck driver's wrist was broken, officials said.

Both were taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, officials said.

A passenger in the cab was also hospitalized, according to witnesses. The FDNY said a third person had been transported to Lenox Hill Hospital, but the NYPD could not immediately confirm that.

Neither driver was immediately charged in the crash. Police said their investigation is ongoing.

Sanchez said he's worked at the coffee cart for nine years and has seen about one crash at the intersection per month.

"This was bad — one of the worst," he said.