A 24-year-old skateboarder who had fallen and was bending down to pick up his ride from the middle of the street was run over by a delivery truck near Union Square Park this morning, cops and witnesses said.
The man was declared dead at Beth Israel Hospital.
The gruesome accident happened around 11:15 a.m. at the intersection of Broadway and E. 17th street.
“I saw him bending down to pick up his skateboard just before they hit him,” said witness and paramedic David Schaller, 36, of Brooklyn, who tried to help the dying man.
“I was screaming at people to get back, to give us room. Nobody did nothing, they just started taking pictures with their cell phones.
“I saw the life come out of him I saw him change color. He stopped breathing and there was no pulse.
“I was trying to save his life and instead he died right in my hands,” said Schaller.
The 35-year-old driver, who remained at the scene, was heading south on Broadway when he struck the man on his right side.
His account differed.
“He was trying to jump off the curb and he fell right in front of us,” said the driver.
Police said it was an accident and no criminal charges would be filed.
The truck is owned by C.S. Brown Co., of The Bronx. Jennifer Reyes, a spokeswoman for the company, said “we can’t comment at this time because we don’t know what happened.’’