The owner of a fruit stand that barely escaped injury when an out-of-control driver broke into his Midtown business was in operation within 24 hours.
Ugur Dikici, 44, worked until 4 a.m. Saturday to prepare his business for clients.
Dikici received help from friends who offered him some metal stalls and, fortunately, had extra goods in his truck.
“I can’t afford to miss a day. I have a family. I have two children – 13 and 16. My daughter is preparing for college. It’s hard, ” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. The last year – you know, the pandemic – is slow. I’m here seven days a week. ”
“I worked until four in the morning,” he said. “I’m tired. But I’m used to it. I usually work 16 or 17 hours a day.
One of the survivors of the domino crash, 54-year-old George Soliman, told The Post that he tried to get away from the road, but it was not fast enough.
The fruit bowl with its contents and scaffolding fell on it. He has pain in his knees, arms, back, it hurts to turn his head from side to side.
“I see the car coming,” Soliman recalled. “He was coming fast – a crazy, crazy man. It hit everything – boom, boom. I fell on the street. I fall on my face. Everything was coming at us. Fruits over me. The scaffolding fell on my back and knees, arms and fingers. Thank god! Thank god! I am alive. I’m really lucky. “
Soliman’s friend Sohaib Annabi, who works for Dikici, was also injured. The 27-year-old is due to be married in a few months, but was forced to take a leave on Saturday.
“I am not sure when I will return to work. Today, when I woke up, my back hurts. When I go, I don’t go right, “Annabi said.
“When I saw the video and talked to my brother and good friend, I cried,” he said, adding, “I could have died. I wouldn’t be here talking to you. But thank God, I’m alive. “
The incident took place around 8:30, when a 66-year-old man, who was later found to have suffered a medical episode, hit his van with Nissan in a black Toyota Camry behind the Second Avenue – sending the car slamming the dining area near East 50th Street.
Two young boys, aged 5 and 7, were hit by flying debris from the empty outdoor arrangement at Crave Fishbar, police said.
The destruction continued for another block. The van crashed into Dikici’s fruit bowl and a few scaffolding before stopping at East 49th Street, according to police and witnesses. A total of seven people were injured.