The gruesome crash that killed a 75-year-old woman in East Harlem Tuesday was a freak chain-reaction collision involving nearly a dozen vehicles, according to police.
The deadly crash started around 6:30 a.m. when a private garbage truck lost control and slammed into a BMW X5, then slammed into nine other vehicles, four of them double-parked.
One of the cars, a Kia Forte, became lodged in front of the truck — serving as a lethal battering ram that shattered scaffolding on East 101st Street and First Avenue, causing a cascade of metal and wood crashing down on the unsuspecting elderly victim and severing her legs, witnesses said.
The 47-year-old driver of the BMW and a 22-year-old man behind a Ford box truck were both injured and were listed in stable condition at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, police said.
The name of the pedestrian was not released, but locals said she was a beloved fixture on the block.
“She’s known for watering the plants in the summer,” said Jose Martinez, a neighborhood smoke shop employee. “You would see her every morning with her walker, filling up a little bucket of water to go water her plants. You don’t see that everywhere.
“That’s not something you see, the care and friendliness for the community,” Martinez added. “This is just mind-blowing.”
The 2023 Peterbilt garage truck at the heart of the deadly crash is owned by Classic Recycling in Clifton, New Jersey — with a company rep telling The Post that the driver had a clean two-year driving record.
They said the truck was driving under the speed limit and the driver tested negative for drugs and alcohol.
“We are still gathering information about this tragic accident and are not able to provide any details at this time,” the firm’s spokesperson said Tuesday.
Police said there have been no arrests but the investigation is ongoing.
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