(Photo: Scott Lynch)
Some answers are arriving in the aftermath of yesterday’s ugly car crash in the East Village. Police say that three employees at East Village Farm & Grocery, the bodega plowed into by the car, were injured, along with one bicyclist; all are expected to survive.
The driver of the car was 32-year-old Shaun Martin, of Queens, who has been charged with DWI, DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired, a traffic infraction), and possession of a controlled substance: PCP was found in Martin’s sock at the hospital.
The most grievously injured victim is 62-year-old Akkas Ali, a florist who was setting up outside the deli when Martin’s car hopped the curb. According to the NYPD, Ali is in “stable” condition. We spoke to Shah, an employee at the deli, who attempted to visit Ali yesterday at the hospital. He told us that doctors “won’t allow anyone to see him yet,” because he can’t speak or open his eyes at the moment.
The tragedy reminded Chad Marlow, the founder of the Tompkins Square Park and Playgrounds Parents Association, of the time when his own father was seriously injured by a drunk driver. And so he is running a fundraiser for Ali and his family. Marlow tells us that “the fundraising effort will last one month, after which a check will be send to Akkas Ali for whatever we raise.” If you’d like to donate, go here.