Seven Injured as Car Plows Through Outdoor Dining Area, Children in Hospital

At least seven people, including several children, were injured as a vehicle plowed through outdoor dining area in the Midtown East this morning.

At least seven people, including two young children, were injured early this morning when a car plowed through an outdoor dining setup near the intersection of East 50th Street and Second Avenue. The incident took place at approximately 8:30 a.m., and left a gruesome mess behind that left on-lookers astonished.

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"I never saw this coming," Maria F. told News Break exclusively, declining to share her last name. "We saw the small black car coming, and then it just didn't stop. It went right into the area where people would be sitting like a game of dominoes. Fall, fall, fall. It was terrible before the car even got there. I always throught these outdoor dining spaces were dangerous, but I never expected to see how dangerous they could be in front of my own eyes."

The scene at the corner of East 50th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan this morning, Citizen App

The accident apparently was set off by a larger white van smashing into a black car, sending the sedan straight through the outdoor dining area on the popular Turtle Bay neighborhood corner. The van kept going, eventually hitting another structure, according to police.

Citizen and Instagram videos and images show a dramatic, messy pile-up of debris and chaos left behind. The local Starbucks was rendered more trash yard-like after the event, with outdoor furniture strewn about, with heaps of garbage, personal belongings, broken items, and more. A nearby traffic light and street sign, relatively sturdy objects, were also plowed down in the event and left in the street.

FDNY is reporting a total of seven people, including two young children, were taken to hospitals in the area. Injuries are being reported as non-life threatening, as noone was seated in the outdoor dining area at the time of the crash. Those injured have been reported by onlookers as pedestrians.

Citizen App

"I think we are lucky it was early in the morning. Today has some sun, so if it was later like lunchtime or dinner? Wow, all the outside eaters would have been really hurt," Maria told us. "I'm happy it was so early in the morning and still a little cold. I can't even imagine how bad this could be if people were doing Friday happy hours or lunches with friends. It's a lot to think about."

Facts are still developing as images and video are reviewed by authorities, but the clean-up efforts are expected to take the better part of today with businesses at the intersection scrambling to clear their sidewalks in an effort to open for the day. It's a harsh page in an already-tumultuous chapter for most Midtown Manhattan businesses.

"I feel bad for the businesses," Jason C., a passerby, shared. "These restaurants have had a hard enough time, and now they're going to spend the day cleaning all this garbage up, and people will be even more afraid to go out to eat again. It's messed up. The weirdest part I guess is that I feel bad for Starbucks. Those baristas aren't getting their regular hours today, and I doubt they're gonna make any tips if they're just cleaning up garbage so they're able to open. What a year."

If you were at the scene or nearby and have photos or videos to share, please let us know in the comments section below with a link to how to contact you, or via social media at @brycegruber. We'll be updating this breaking news story throughout the day.