NEW YORK – A horrifying video captures the moment a FDNY firefighter had his leg crushed after an SUV that was involved in a crash suddenly tipped over, trapping him as he tried to stabilize the vehicle on Sunday.
The injured firefighter was identified as Ryan Warnock. He remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition on Monday a fire department spokesman told the New York Post.
Gut-wrenching footage of the incident shows Warnock and other first responders trying to stabilize the off-balanced black SUV after it was involved in a collision and came to rest atop a white Volvo in Midtown Manhattan Sunday afternoon.
Warnock could be seen leaning into the SUV as a fellow firefighter prepared a yellow beam to help brace the slightly overturned vehicle in order to rescue occupants that were trapped inside, the Post reported.
Moments later the SUV suddenly rolls forward and tips onto its side — crushing the firefighter beneath, the horrifying video shows.
People in the area screamed at the sight of Warnock getting caught in a position that trapped him and reportedly snapped his leg.
FDNY officials said the driver of one of the vehicles involved in the collision “hit the gas,” causing the SUV to lurch forward and fall.
The occupants of the Volvo were identified as Matthew Wahn and his wife, Randi. They were not injured during the sequence of emergencies.
Wahn, 62, told the New York Post that he and his wife were driving to dinner when the SUV rear-ended them at West 42nd Street and 11th Avenue.
“We felt a huge car hit us from behind — he drove up the side of our car,” Wahn mentioned.
“The fireman tried climbing into their car and the weight of the fireman turned the car over and his leg got badly hurt so they took him away. The man and his son were still in the car while this happened.”
The driver of the SUV was not identified.
