Taxi Jumps Curb, Critically Injuring 3 People in Manhattan

Three people were in critical condition on Monday afternoon after a taxi jumped the sidewalk in Manhattan’s Flatiron district. The driver hit a cyclist and several pedestrians with his vehicle, the authorities said.

Around 1 p.m., according to the Fire Department, the driver crashed his car into a building near 29th Street and Broadway, an area packed with bars, restaurants and hotels. Police officials were investigating the cause of the collision, which they believe for now to be an accident.

As the driver turned left onto Broadway, the police said, his cab hit a cyclist and veered onto the sidewalk. The vehicle then accelerated and pushed two women against a wall.

Mamadou Barry, 40, was among the pedestrians who watched the collision unfold. He said that the cyclist remained conscious, but with his arm twisted in an unnatural way.

Mr. Barry joined more than a dozen other bystanders to move the cab away to free a victim who had been crushed. As pedestrians screamed, Mr. Barry looked away, not wanting to see the extent of the injuries. “It was scary,” he said.

Deputy Chief John Chell of the Police Department said at a news conference that “a remarkable scene took place: About 15 to 20 New Yorkers attempted to pick this cab off these women.”

The Police Department was investigating whether the accident was caused by the driver having experienced a “medical episode,” a spokesman said earlier on Monday.

At least six people were injured and taken to the hospital, including the taxi driver, according to the authorities. Three had life-threatening injuries.

The cab was still on the scene at about 3 p.m., near a juice store and a dessert shop. The driver’s door was open, next to a crumpled bicycle in the green bike lane.