Driver charged in Bronx accident that left teenager critically hurt

LONGWOOD (WABC) -- A driver accused of hitting and critically injuring a teenage pedestrian in the Bronx has been arraigned.

36 year old Efrain Rodriguez is charged with with striking 17 Amaru Millin in the Bronx Friday morning.

Amaru suffered swelling to the brain and had to have part of his scalp removed.

Authorities say Rodriguez was speeding, traveling more than 45 miles an hour, and fleeing a previous crash when he struck Amaru.

He had taken methadone before the crash and has 16 prior drivers license suspensions, police say.

Authorities said a U-Haul driven by Rodriguez and a car crashed, sending the vehicles onto the sidewalk and the car into the front of a beauty salon. The incident happened at Southern Boulevard and Barretto Street in the Longwood section.

"He didn't bother going towards the kid," an eyewitness said. "The U-Haul guy, tried to turn on the car and shift the car like he was going to leave. Me and some other guys told him 'don't move the car, get the hell out of the car, you aren't leaving,'".

The intersection of Southern Boulevard and Barretto Street was full of people when the accident happened.

"I saw the kid crossing the street. When the kid went to cross the street this U-Haul truck was speeding and it hit the kid and he landed over there," a woman said.

Investigators say the teen did not have the light, but was in the crosswalk when he got hit.

"It hit him real bad, hit him bad, knocked him unconscious," the woman said.

"I went to him, he was still breathing, I told him, 'don't move, stay on the floor', I saw a cop coming, and I told the cop, 'Come over here,'" the eyewitness said.