Officials: Cab Jumps Curb Downtown, Fatally Strikes 1 Man & Injures Another
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- One man was killed and another injured after they were struck by a taxi cab on Friday night in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The accident happened around 8:30 p.m. on Liberty Avenue near the intersection of Sixth Street, by Heinz Hall.
According to Public Safety Department officials, the Vets Taxi cab jumped the curb, hit the two pedestrians and then ended up in the courtyard behind Heinz Hall.
"It appears as if the cab lost control at this intersection and jumped the curb, hitting two men, killing one of the victims," said Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sonya Toler.
"We were at the bus stop, the cab - at like a high rate of speed - turned and just ran into the bus stop and hit the person that's deceased on the ground and continued to drive through the gate, and the guy that was on top of the car, he was screaming and hollering, and me and my friend we came across the street and we called 911," witness Dorothy Melinda Lane told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti at the scene.
@IannottiRalph Two men struck by Vets taxi cab on Liberty Ave. One fatality. Liberty Ave near Sixth shut down pic.twitter.com/DvlvfJdC6X
— Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) March 18, 2017
The name of the man who was killed has not yet been released.
The other man was taken to a local hospital where he's listed in stable condition.
"We don't know where they were going; we do know they were walking along the sidewalk. We do not know if the two victims were together, but they were at least in close proximity to one another when this happened," Toler said.
UPDATE: Cab jumps curb on Liberty Ave near Heinz Hall courtyard, strikes 2 male pedestrians; one dead, one stable pic.twitter.com/7NOoR20DTB
— Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) March 18, 2017
After the accident, police shut down the area of Liberty and 6th to traffic. Accident reconstruction experts were called in to investigate.
The cab driver did stop and is cooperating with police.
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.
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