Chain Reaction Crash Involving Outdoor Dining Structure Injures 7, Including 2 Children, In Midtown

Seven people were injured, including two children, after a chain-reaction crash in Midtown, Manhattan decimated an outdoor dining structure and sent debris flying onto the sidewalk. The driver is in custody, police said, and charges are pending.

The incident occurred shortly before 9 a.m., as the driver of a white van struck a Toyota Camry on Second Avenue between 50th and 51st Street, police said. The second vehicle slammed into an curbside dining shed belonging to Crave Fishbar. The structure was empty, police said, but wooden debris struck a 5- and 7-year-old nearby.

The van, meanwhile, continued in motion, striking a fruit stand, and injuring an additional three pedestrians, police said.

An employee at the Blank Slate Coffee + Kitchen said that the occupants of the Camry — which appeared to be an Uber — were the most seriously injured. He said at least one person was put in a stretcher.

A spokesperson for the NYPD said that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

The driver appeared to be an employee of Mega Elevator Parts, a delivery company based in Long Island City. A manager at the facility, Noman Ahmed, told Gothamist that the driver had worked for the company for 20 years without incident.

"I tried to call my driver and I think the police picked up," he told Gothamist. "I'm shocked. I don't know what to say."

Authorities could not provide further information about the victims, including the extent of their injuries. All of the victims are expected to survive.

The city has warned of road closures in the area, and the MTA is re-routing M50 buses due to a scaffolding collapse in the area.

Additional reporting by Alec Hamilton.