Dozens Come To Rescue Of Cyclist Hit By Car In Bed-Stuy: Witness

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Corinne Cashin was on her way home from a shift at the Park Slope Food Coop last Friday evening, when she heard an alarming sound.

"I heard the crash, screaming and felt a rush of air as I was crossing the street," Cashin, who was walking across Halsey Street near Nostrand Avenue, told Patch. "I turned around and [a man] was on his side at my feet."

The man, a 37-year-old she would soon know only by his first name, had just been hit by a Honda while riding his bike, sending him flying through the intersection, according to Cashin and police.

What happened next was a moment Cashin said made her "so proud" of the Bed-Stuy community she calls home.

"People came running from every direction," she later wrote on Facebook.

More than 30 people jumped to action, rushing to the cyclist's side, calling 911, making sure the driver stayed put and blocking traffic until emergency responders arrived.

Cashin and another man "with a fresh tattoo still with plastic wrap on it" helped keep the cyclist laying down, asking him to repeat her name back to check on the extent of his injuries.

Soon, she was calling — then, when the sirens were too loud, texting — the man's mom to let her know what was going on.

"I didn’t have time to be nervous," said Cashin, who comes from a self-described "family of helpers." "...I stayed because that’s what you do when someone is hurt. You stay until you’ve helped to the extent you have to give."

Firefighters and paramedics soon arrived, moving the man and his bike out of the street.

Then, police came and talked to those who had seen the crash, Cashin said.

The man who had been hit was taken to Methodist Hospital in stable condition, according to police.

"I am so proud of my community," Cashin said on Facebook. "Everyone was amazing in handling this situation — all those instincts and quick thinking gave that young man his best chance in a horrible situation."