TRAGIC ACCIDENT: Mir Hoosain (above) was killed when a driver careened into his double-parked taxi early yesterday on East 26th Street in Midtown and demolished the cab and his own SUV.
TRAGIC ACCIDENT: Mir Hoosain was killed when a driver (above) careened into his double-parked taxi early yesterday on East 26th Street in Midtown and demolished the cab and his own SUV.
TRAGIC ACCIDENT: Mir Hoosain (left) was killed when a driver (right) careened into his double-parked taxi early yesterday on East 26th Street in Midtown and demolished the cab and his own SUV (center). (
)
A Bangladeshi immigrant who drove a taxi to put himself through college was killed when an SUV careened into his parked cab as he stood next to it in Manhattan’s Flatiron District yesterday.
Mir Hoosain, 35, of Queens, was standing near his double-parked yellow Crown Victoria at East 26th Street between Lexington and Third avenues when a Nissan Pathfinder flew down the street and smashed into the taxi.
Hoosain was hit by his taxi and sent flying before landing behind a parked van, sources said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three other parked cars were damaged during the smashup, and one of their occupants was taken to the hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
The 42-year-old driver of the Pathfinder remained at the scene after the crash and was not arrested.
Cops said he wasn’t drinking but are still trying determine if he was speeding before the crash. Witnesses told investigators that he had been going very fast, sources said.
Hoosain’s friends described him as an industrious student who was studying at the Borough of Manhattan Community College to become a dental hygienist.
“He’s a very hardworking, honest and helpful guy,” said Hoosain’s Kew Gardens roommate, Md Sarker. “He was a really young guy who had a really, really bright future.”
The roommates shared an apartment, but Hoosain was rarely home because of his lengthy shifts, the grieving man said.
Sarker said Hoosain had two ex-wives in Bangladesh but no children. The immigrant came to America in the early ’90s and had been driving a cab for roughly eight years.
“It’s very, very sad,” said Hoosain’s heartbroken cousin, Mir Hassan, who also drives a cab. “He’s a good driver. I don’t think he had any accidents. He was very quiet.”
Hassan said that Hoosain dedicated most of his waking hours to his schoolwork and did little more than drive and study. The devastated cousin said he identified Hoosain’s body this morning at a morgue.
Hoosain’s roommate said he received a phone call from Hoosain’ s cellphone at 3 a.m. A cop told him his roommate was gone.
“I got really shocked,” Sarker said. I couldn’t talk anymore.”
Hassan said their profession has become increasingly dangerous
“I’m afraid now,” he said. “There’s so many dangers in the city. There’s no safety for drivers.”