Livery cab driver killed when car slams into tow truck on Cross Bronx Expressway

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Authorities say a livery cab driver was killed early Saturday when his vehicle slammed into a flatbed truck in the Bronx.

Just before 2 a.m., the Toyota Camry TLC livery vehicle travelling west on the Cross Bronx Expressway near Castle Hill Avenue smashed into the rear of a flatbed truck that was parked in the left lane of the roadway.

The operator of the flatbed was in the process of removing a broken down vehicle there when struck.

The 45-year-old driver of the TLC vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as Leonel Paulino.

A 27-year-old female passenger in the vehicle was seriously injured and taken to St Barnabas Hospital where she is said to be in stable condition.

Speed is believed to have been a factor in the accident, police said.