Dad Of New York Teen Struck By Cab: Full Backpack Saved Her Life

NEW YORK (AP) — The father of a 13-year-old New York City girl who was struck by a livery cab while she was standing on the sidewalk says her life was saved by her backpack full of books.

Police say the collision occurred around 8 a.m. Thursday as the teen was standing on a street corner near her home in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn.

Officials say the 48-year-old man driving the cab suffered a heart attack at the wheel. Street surveillance video shows the runaway car jumping the curb at a high rate of speed and hitting the girl from behind as she tries to get out of the way.

The impact sent her onto the hood on her back. She suffered a leg fracture and was treated at a hospital.

The cab driver remains hospitalized in critical condition.