Early Friday morning a Metropolitan Recycling garbage truck swerved out of the way to avoid hitting a sedan that had run a red light. The garbage smashed into the wall of the open deli, Gourmet Deli, on the corner of Dekalb Ave. and Bedford Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The police reported the auto accident left eight people injured.
The garbage truck was heading westbound through a green light on Dekalb Ave. at Bedford Ave. when a black sedan ran the red light. The garbage truck swerved to try to avoid hitting the sedan. Then the driver lost control of the monstrous vehicle and plowed through the storefront of the open deli.
The family who owns the deli has lived above the deli and has operated it since 1983. Mohamed Ali, part of the family who owns the deli, said his two cousins were working when the garbage truck hit.
“They were behind the cash register and the deli counter on the opposite side from where the truck hit – thank God,” said Ali, who was asleep in the upstairs apartment. “The building shook for like five minutes … I feel like my brain is flying.”
The drivers of both vehicles, as well as six others, were taken to Bellevue, King’s County, and Woodhull Hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, said authorities.
Mohamed Abdo, whose brother and cousin were working when the crash occurred, said “I saw my brother outside, he just ran out of the store, he thought the building was going to fall down,” Abdo said. “He said ‘an accident happened … the truck was trying to move from the car, it went inside the building’ … His hand was in pain, his leg was bleeding.” He said the deli has supported his extended family in New York and Yemen for decades. “We’ll try to rebuild, to assess the damage,” he said. “This store supports families, I grew up from this store, more than ten families – people back in Yemen – rely on the store.”
The structure of the building and the accident are under investigation. If you have ever been injured in an auto related accident, or any other personal injury accidents, contact our associates for a free consultation.