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Fire officials say the SUV was stopped near Trenchard Avenue around 2:07 p.m. when the driver got out of the vehicle to ask for directions. The passenger followed and the unoccupied SUV began rolling in reverse, eastbound on Yonkers Avenue, down the inclined hill.
Fortunately, fire officials said, a fire chief and a firefighter from Battalion 2 were riding in a department vehicle, also traveling eastbound as they were leaving the scene of a separate car accident.
The firefighters spotted the driverless SUV with an open door, rolling and picking up speed. As other cars along the busy thruway managed to avoid the unoccupied vehicle, the firefighters quickly maneuvered their truck in the SUV’s path.
The two vehicles collided, bringing the runaway SUV to a stop near Empire Street. The two fire department members were taken to St. John’s Riverside Hospital where they are currently being evaluated for injuries.
“They took a pretty good hit,” Assistant Fire Chief Timothy Fitzpatrick said.
Authorities said they are still investigating just how the car began rolling down the hill. The driver, who was not identified, was also taken to the hospital for evaluation after he was found lying on the ground, presumably after falling while attempting to chase the SUV.
Fitzpatrick said the firefighter’s quick thinking averted a potentially much more serious accident.
“That’s a pretty busy road,” he said. “Who knows how much damage could have occurred.”
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