Ride-Share SUV Cuts in Front of Brooklyn Bus, Slams Into Elderly Man

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — An elderly man crossing the street at the busy Myrtle and Broadway intersection on the border of Bed-Stuy and Bushwick Thursday night was knocked unconscious by an apparent ride-share SUV trying to swerve past a city bus, according to a witness who spoke to Patch. (And who preferred to remain anonymous.)

The B54 bus, which runs down Myrtle Avenue, had stopped to drop off and pick up passengers in front of the Popeye's on Broadway just before midnight, the witness said.

To get around the bus, he said, the big, black ride-share vehicle accelerated and cut in front of it — "and then just plows right into this old guy crossing the street."

Our witness said the moment of impact was so loud, he thought the SUV had hit the bus' side or another vehicle.

Video of the aftermath is included below.

A spokesman for the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) confirmed that an ambulance responded to Broadway and Myrtle around 11:57 p.m. after receiving a report of a pedestrian struck at that intersection.

The man was in "pretty serious" condition, according to the FDNY, and had suffered traumatic injuries in the crash. He was rushed to Methodist Hospital in Park Slope.

And because the man didn't die at the scene of the crash, the New York City Police Department (NYPD)'s press office could not provide any information on what happened to him.

"The old guy wasn't moving at all," our witness said. "Thankfully, an ambulance and a cop car were in close proximity, but then there were just 10 cops standing around doing nothing."

The witness also said a nicely dressed girl who had been riding in the back of the SUV kept sitting "calmly" in the vehicle for around 5 minutes after the crash — then got out and walked away.

An exhaustive report released earlier this week by the traffic-safety advocacy group Transportation Alternatives found that so far in 2016, "the NYPD is falling short in its commitment to consistent, appropriate policing to deter the most deadly driving violations."

For example, the report found that in various precincts — including the 81st and 83rd Precincts, which meet at the Bed-Stuy and Bushwick border along Broadway — police have issued more summonses this year for tinted windows than for speeding and failure to yield the right of way combined.

Do you have any additional information on what happened at Myrtle and Broadway last night, or who this man could be? We'd love to hear from you: simone.wilson@patch.com.