A man hailing from Brooklyn, New York City, has been killed after he rear ended a stationary MTA bus, said local police officials.
The man, who has been idenitified as 23 year old Luis Duran of Cypress Hills, was crushed to death in the accident, which occurred just half a mile from his home in Cypress Hills. It appears that Duran smashed into the MTA bus, which was stopped at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Euclid Avenue at approximately 4.30 am when Duran smashed into the back of the bus. Duran’s black 2003 Honda Accord then spun into a nearby BP gas station before coming to a stop.
Duran was crushed to death inside the wreckage of the car. He was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency responders who were rapidly deployed to the scene after a phone call from the owner of the BP Station, who wished to only be identified as David. According to the station owner, it did not appear that Duran had made any attempt to avoid hitting the bus, and there was no evidence that he had put on brakes before the collision. “There’s no skid marks. He never saw it coming,” said the station owner.
Local police investigators are currently attempting to determine the cause of the accident. It is not yet clear why Duran did not make an attempt to slow down before hitting the bus. Shocked bystanders crowded the scene as first responders and the police removed Duran’s body from the demolished vehicle and covered it with a sheet.
An onlooker, 39 year old Jose Pichardon who owns a shop close to the scene of the accident, said that he had never seen anything as shocking. Another witness, 34 year old Michelle Harvey, said “It’s horrifying. I don’t even want to look at it.”
Duran was a second generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He was working as a baggage cart driver for American Airlines and was working on completing his GED. According to family members, his dream was to one day become an airplane mechanic.
“He was a sweet guy. He was just 23,” said Duran’s devastated mother, 49 year old Maricela Duran, who was clearly devastated. She sobbed on her daughter’s shoulder as police travelled to her home to break the news to her. “He was a good person. He was planning to go back to school,” she said.