BROOKLYN (PIX11)— A man in a wheelchair fell into the road Saturday morning attempting to board an MTA bus at a Greenpoint Avenue stop, an exclusive video obtained by PIX11 News shows.
The bus can be seen stopped near the bus stop. They open the bus doors for the man in a wheelchair. The man in a yellow safety vest, who was attempting to board the bus, fell face-first into the street asphalt. The MTA bus driver allegedly drove off.
A bystander in a yellow shirt rushed over to help the man, but no one from the MTA helped.
PIX11 News contacted the MTA, which blames a truck seen in the video. They say it was illegally parked and blocked the bus from getting close to the curb.
“This was an unfortunate situation for a customer who would have been able to safely board the bus had a truck not been illegally parked, blocking the bus stop,” a statement from an MTA spokes read. “We are thankful he was not seriously injured. Newly expanded bus camera enforcement will be ticketing vehicles blocking bus stops with fines up to $250 for repeat offenders to make it safer for passengers to board and get off. This entire incident is under review by NYC Transit management.”
The Saturday morning incident now garners mixed reactions from locals. Some say the bus driver may not have seen the man fall. Other Brooklyn locals say the bus driver should have rendered aid, while one person suggests making the bus stop ADA-accessible since the sidewalk does not have a slope.
However, a spokesperson insisted the truck blocking the bus was at fault since every MTA bus has a ‘deployable ramp’ that provides safe boarding when the bus is able to stop normally.
MTA officials said the bus driver is being withheld from service pending the results of an internal review.
No serious injuries were reported.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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