Police charged a driver with a DWI, plus vehicular assault and leaving the scene of an accident, after he struck a delivery man on Friday night. Ricardo Gonzalez had been biking up Eighth Avenue when he was struck from behind by Clark Gettiner, who was in a Lexus. According to the Post, Gettinger, 40, "struck Gonzalez with so much force Friday night that he was thrown from his bike and skidded 20 feet down slush-soaked Eighth Avenue before ending up beneath a double-parked BMW."
Gettinger allegedly continued driving up Eighth Avenue until cops stopped him at 50th Street. A police source told City Room, "He was stopped by patrol officers based on information provided by eyewitnesses. The vehicle was observed with damage to the front passenger-side windshield, and the driver was positively identified by witnesses at the scene." You can see the cracked-up windshield of Gettinger's Lexus here. Gettinger, whose dead father owned the car, is being held on $50,000 bail. The Post notes, "Gettinger's dad, Robert, was one of the original Madoff investors in 1973 -- and a close family friend of the mega-scammer. The family's losses included a $3 million trust fund for his sons, reports said."
FDNY's Engine 54 and Ladder 4 happened to be right by the BMW SUV where Gonzalez was trapped. A FDNY spokesman said that people " were pounding on the door to alert the firefighters" and firefighters managed to lift the vehicle up. Gonzalez is in critical condition at Bellevue Hospital.
