The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. on College Point Boulevard, near 14th Road, in College Point, with the vehicle slamming into a convenience store and nail salon.
Investigators say the Honda Pilot struck a man on a motorized scooter, tossing him about 20 feet in the air.
He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
"I was real scared," he said. "My back was towards it, and that time, when it got me by the back, it pushed me in. Another second, it would've caught me in the middle and I would've been dead."
There were people inside both businesses at the time, and two others were also hospitalized.
The crash caused a minor collapse at the very front of a building, and the driver also suffered minor injuries.