May 6, 2009 12:55 pm US/Eastern
At Least 9 Injured In Midtown Movie Car Accident
BMW SUV Jumps Curb To Avoid Yellow Cab, Plows Into Production Crew Gathered On Sidewalk
Second Incident In 3 Days Involving Filming Of Nicolas Cage Movie
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A BMW SUV swerved out of the way of a yellow cab and jumped the curb in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, plowing into a film production crew gathered on the sidewalk. At least eight people suffered minor injuries.
CBS
For the second time in three days, the production crew shooting the Nicolas Cage movie, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," was involved in a car accident. But this time, they were the victims.
Dozens of crew members had just wrapped up their overnight movie shoot at 51st and 7th Avenue just before 3:30 a.m.
The dozen or so members were standing under the "Mama Mia!" marquee to get out of the rain when a BMW SUV packed with nursing students from Mount Saint Vincent jumped the curb and hit at least nine crew members.
"I wasn't trying to cause an accident," said driver Laura Conti. "I was coming straight down and a taxi cut in front of me so I had to avoid it and I hit the parked car over there."
"This really is an accident," said passenger Dijon Rhem. "We avoided one accident and ended up getting into another one."
The nine crew members were rushed to the hospital. Police say none of their injuries are life-threatening but some crew members left behind had questions for the police.
"The street shouldn't have been opened up," said crew member Hameen Rasul. "We had the street until 5:30 a.m."
Police on the scene said the movie had wrapped for the night and that's why they decided to open the roads back up.
It's the second car accident to happen on the set this week. Early Monday morning, a Ferrari driven by a stunt driver for a chase scene in the film crashed into a restaurant in Times Square, just blocks away from Wednesday's accident scene.
In that accident the driver lost control of the luxury car and knocked over a lamppost, crashed into a newspaper box and then slammed into a Sbarro's Restaurant.
Salma Sheuly was just leaving work at a nearby souvenir shop when the car went barreling towards her.
Sheuly, 22, from Bangladesh, was struck while walking with her co-worker, Ishaq Muhammad. The two were on their way to the subway to head home to Queens.
"I heard some sounds and my friend, he looked back and maybe he saw the car coming because he pulled me back," said Sheuly.
But he couldn't pull her out of the way completely.
"I heard somebody asking me, 'Are you okay?' I felt pain and I still can't move my legs properly," she added.
"God sent me an angel," said Sheuly referring to Muhammad.
Bronx resident Mamadou Babaou, 24, was struck by a pole that was hit by the out-of-control 2007 Ferrari.
Right after the crash, witnesses began to notice actors milling around. That's when they realized the accident they just witnessed was a chase scene from a movie that just became too realistic.
Muhammad doesn't think he needs to buy a ticket now.
"It's like I saw the movie already, like this, but it happened right in front of my eyes," said Ishaq.
Both Sheuly and Babaou are recovering from minor injuries.
The production crew is wrapping up their three day shoot, but not before they move to an even busier location for their overnight work, 42nd Street.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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