Freak Accident Sends Man Flying Off Scooter In Chelsea

CHELSEA, NY — A freak accident sent a man flying head first into the pavement of a Chelsea street Wednesday afternoon.

A man was riding a motorized scooter down the W. 29th Street bike lane between Sixth and Seventh avenues at 1:42 p.m. when a person stepped into the path, catching their foot on the scooter and sending its operator careening into the sidewalk, surveillance video shows.

One man who was heading back to his office from lunch described the chaotic scene.

"A guy came out of nowhere and caught his foot on the scooter. It looked like an accident, it was just the worst possible timing," said Jonathan Roker, 39, who works as a software engineer in a Sixth Avenue office.

The man was wearing a bike helmet, but the impact of hitting the ground sent his helmet flying across the sidewalk and the man took a blow to the head.

"It looked like he was in shock, but when he lifted his head a little you could see all the blood," said Lucy Chen, 28, who works at a nearby clothing store on W. 29th street. "It looked bad. He was fading in and out of conscious."

Good Samaritans rushed to the victim's side and called 911. Medics took the man to Bellevue hospital in stable condition, FDNY said.

The person who caught their foot on the scooter did not stay on the scene, a police officer at the accident said.

Photos and video courtesy of Caroline Spivack/Patch