After witnessing a multi-victim crash on Saturday in New York City, a group of good Samaritans jumped in to help — only to discover bottles of liquor falling out of the vehicle that they had helped lift to rescue the driver.
In a statement to local news station ABC7 NY, police confirmed that an out-of-control minivan driving down the street in Brooklyn, New York, had crashed into a 26-year-old woman and three-year-old girl on the sidewalk, then struck a parked SUV and a pickup truck further down the street before flipping over on the road.
Upon hearing the crash, several good Samaritans who live in the neighborhood rushed to lift the minivan to help rescue the driver.
“It sounded like a bomb exploded. I mean, it was really, really loud,” one witness said.
Eudus James, the owner of both of the vehicles that were hit by the minivan, was one of the good Samaritans seen on video helping to flip the overturned vehicle.
“The car that hit was upside down, and everybody came and was trying to, you know, turn it over,” he said. “[The driver] was bleeding out of his mouth. There was blood on the road. It was kinda scary watching somebody being pinned and being crushed.”
The good Samaritans were successful in their heroic efforts, flipping the minivan over and helping to free the driver. However, they immediately discovered the likely cause of the crash.
A drunk driver runs over two pedestrians before crashing and being rescued by good samaritans who push his minivan upright, rescuing him.
The terrifying crash happened Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, with around a dozen people assisting the trapped drunk driver.
A witness… pic.twitter.com/bjnElQ6p4Y
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 5, 2024
Upon flipping the minivan over, James told ABC7 NY that he saw a bottle of Cognac that had fallen onto the pavement during the crash and saw another similar bottle inside the car.
Speaking with CBS News, another eyewitness identified as Shanique Fox confirmed that she had seen a bottle of liquor fall out of the vehicle after a firefighter was able to get the driver’s door open.
Law enforcement sources also confirmed to the New York Post that the driver, identified as 61-year-old Olubunmi Awoluyi, had been taken into custody on charges of DWI, reckless driving, and leaving the scene of an accident. The outlet noted that both pedestrians who were struck by the drunk driver had been taken to a nearby hospital and are “expected to make a full recovery.”
Meanwhile, James is now without a ride back to his New Hampshire home after both of his vehicles suffered significant damage from the crash.
“I’m actually living in New Hampshire right now. I came down to see my mom, spend some time with her for the weekend, but, unfortunately, I am here now until I can figure out how I can get back home,” he told the media.
