The Newtown Pentacle

– photo by Mitch Waxman

Obligation had carried me away from Astoria yesterday, and upon my return, I discovered this scene playing out. A police cruiser, taxi, and two other vehicles had been smashed. I checked with one of the officers on the scene, who told me that it seemed as if his compatriots who were in the wreck were going to be OK. I missed all the action, apparently.

Additional inquiries regarding the event were offered to the multitudes of neighbors milling about, and one of them volunteered to guest blog.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The following text was received from today’s guest blogger- a member of our local gentry, a yenta, and itinerant area wag who wishes to be called Mr. Blogovich.

Blogovich is a respectably sturdy Croat of long neighborhood affiliation and good reputation, despite his bizarre and unconventional manner of dress. His comments and observations follow in italics:

“Pieced together from many perspectives:

The police car came into the intersection doing 80-100, sirens and lights going.

It clipped the dip in the street, back right tire probably popping and locking there.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

It went down about 200-300 feet, fishtailed to the right, its back right bumper slapping into the bumper of the white Nissan Sentra.

Impact and momentum pushed it to the left side of the street. It went about 30 feet to impact with a black SUV with cement bags in its back hatch.

This lifted the black SUV up a bit and piled it directly into a taxi cab that was parked in front of it, with a spray of cement powder flying everywhere.

Three very lucky people were standing about 6 feet from the place of initial impact. A foot worth of tilt to the left and the cop car would have plowed into them and taken them out.

– photo by Mr. Blogovich

Directly after the impact with the black SUV the back end of the cop car swerved to the left and impacted with the black iron fence next to XXXXX’s house.

It was at this point I booked down the street shirtless.

I got there in time to see the two cops staggering slightly out of the car. The airbags deployed. I shouted, “Are you guys okay?”

The driving officer immediately asked, “Did anyone see the little girl I swerved for?” or some such.

Why did he not ask, “Is the little girl alright?”

– photo by Mr. Blogovich

Oil was cascading out of the bottom. The car was still on. A bystander told the passenger cop to turn the motor off.

I offered them water if needed, asked them if they were ok. The driving officer said, ” I’ll be okay if I get a witness who saw the little girl.”

The response sirens were almost immediate. Not ten seconds after I arrived on the scene.

The response was IMMENSE.

• Conservative estimates:
• 8 cop cars, all told.
• 4 fire trucks.
• 4-5 ambulances. These are not counting the response vehicles that didn’t even turn down the street.

– photo by Mitch Waxman

The street became congested with the response team.

Cops pulled all tools and gear out of the car. The two cops service belts were stored away.

All the owners of each vehicle were interviewed.

Oddly, at least initially, the three main witnesses who could have nearly died, were not.”

Wow, says a humble narrator. Thanks to Mr. Blogovich for all the details, and use of his photos.

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