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Elderly Driver Unleashes Chaos in E. 57th St. Crash, Injures 3

An 86-year-old U-Haul minivan driver hit two cars, then drove onto the sidewalk, causing property and pedestrian damage.

E. 57th St. and Madison Ave. /
| 24 Oct 2025 | 11:55
    A U-Haul delivery van allegedly driven by an 86-year-old man came to a halt on East 57th St. on Oct. 21, but not before hitting two cars, driving onto the sidewalk and crushing three mail relay boxes, knocking over a LinkNYC wifi kiosk, and hitting a fire hydrant. Also, a female pedestrian was hit by the falling bus sign.
    A U-Haul delivery van allegedly driven by an 86-year-old man came to a halt on East 57th St. on Oct. 21, but not before hitting two cars, driving onto the sidewalk and crushing three mail relay boxes, knocking over a LinkNYC wifi kiosk, and hitting a fire hydrant. Also, a female pedestrian was hit by the falling bus sign. ( Photo: Citizen)
    Three postal relay boxes were crushed in the mayhem on East 57th near Madison Avenue after an 86-year-old driver in a U-Haul minivan drove onto the sidewalk. The USPS said no civilian mail was lost in the process.
    Three postal relay boxes were crushed in the mayhem on East 57th near Madison Avenue after an 86-year-old driver in a U-Haul minivan drove onto the sidewalk. The USPS said no civilian mail was lost in the process. ( Photo: Citizen)

An 86-year-old driver of a U-Haul minivan unleashed a Rube Goldberg-ish afternoon of chaos when police said he rear-ended a yellow taxi at East 57th Street and Madison, reversed into a car in back of him, and then drove onto the sidewalk.

But the driver made no better progress on the sidewalk than he had on the roadway.

He proceeded to strike a fire hydrant, flattened three green mail-delivery relay boxes, and crashed into a LinkNYC wifi kiosk and a pole holding a bus-stop sign, which then struck a 33-year-old woman on the sidewalk.

Police said the driver, the woman struck by the bus-stop sign, and the taxi driver were all “transported to a local area hospital in stable condition.”

There were no arrests at the scene, but the investigation is continuing, police said. The name of the driver who triggered the mayhem had not been released at press time.

Despite having the green postal relay boxes flattened, a spokesperson for the US Postal Service said no civilian mail was lost and repairs should be underway shortly.

“Work to replace the green boxes will be seamless to customers, as those boxes are used to facilitate local delivery, not deposits of outgoing mail,” the spokesperson said.