Crimson
12-02-2009, 09:42 PM
"A motorist drove for nearly 20 miles around New York city before he realised he had been dragging a man's body in his van's wheels for almost an hour.
The dead man was knocked under delivery driver Manuel Lituma Sanchez's van after being hit by an SUV.
Police said the incident was accidental and have no plans to charge the drivers of either vehicle.
Mr Sanchez had no idea the victim had become caught underneath his Chevrolet van until the end of his trip that took him on some of the city's busiest streets.
It was only when a pedestrian flagged him down and told him something was dragging underneath his van that he got out and made the grim discovery.
Investigators are still working to identify the man's horribly battered body.
Detectives believe he was first hit as he crossed the road in the Corona section of Queens by the driver of a black Ford Expedition.
The Ford's driver, Gustavo Acosta, immediately called 911 but when police arrived the victim was gone and no damage was found on the SUV.
Mr Sanchez, about two vehicles behind, said he had noticed cars swerving but assumed the drivers were simply avoiding a pothole.
He drove over the victim who became hooked by a steel skid plate under the van.
He said: "I didn't feel anything and I didn't hear anything. I don't know what happened."
Mr Sanchez drove on the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway and the Belt Parkway, winding from Queens to Brooklyn, ending up in Brighton Beach.
He told officers he had stopped twice on his route believing something was wrong with the engine but did not look underneath the vehicle.
He said: "You can't imagine the shock I felt. I'm just so nervous and very sad."
Ohhh deary.
The dead man was knocked under delivery driver Manuel Lituma Sanchez's van after being hit by an SUV.
Police said the incident was accidental and have no plans to charge the drivers of either vehicle.
Mr Sanchez had no idea the victim had become caught underneath his Chevrolet van until the end of his trip that took him on some of the city's busiest streets.
It was only when a pedestrian flagged him down and told him something was dragging underneath his van that he got out and made the grim discovery.
Investigators are still working to identify the man's horribly battered body.
Detectives believe he was first hit as he crossed the road in the Corona section of Queens by the driver of a black Ford Expedition.
The Ford's driver, Gustavo Acosta, immediately called 911 but when police arrived the victim was gone and no damage was found on the SUV.
Mr Sanchez, about two vehicles behind, said he had noticed cars swerving but assumed the drivers were simply avoiding a pothole.
He drove over the victim who became hooked by a steel skid plate under the van.
He said: "I didn't feel anything and I didn't hear anything. I don't know what happened."
Mr Sanchez drove on the Grand Central Parkway, the Van Wyck Expressway and the Belt Parkway, winding from Queens to Brooklyn, ending up in Brighton Beach.
He told officers he had stopped twice on his route believing something was wrong with the engine but did not look underneath the vehicle.
He said: "You can't imagine the shock I felt. I'm just so nervous and very sad."
Ohhh deary.