Australian mum tells of how she and her son were injured in New York City taxi crash

The identities of an Australian woman and her nine-year-old son who were pinned under a cab after it mowed them down in New York City can be revealed. See video, photos.

The Aussies injured in New York City after an out-of-control taxi mowed them down have been identified as Rebecca Stewart and her nine-year-old son Tyler.

The Perth mother told of the terror following the incident on Christmas Day, recalling the horrible moment her son was “screaming next to me”.

The 41-year-old, who was three days into a dream American holiday, suffered head injuries, when the vehicle mounted the curb in busy Herald Square in Midtown, hitting her and six others.

Her son was pinned under the wheel of the car and rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital for emergency surgery.

“He (the driver) hit us from behind, hit us from behind,’’ Stewart told ABC Eyewitness News in a phone interview from hospital.

“Didn’t even know what happened. I just remember being on the ground and something on top of me, I could hear the wheels screeching and my son screaming next to me.’’

Multiple pedestrians including two Australians were struck by a New York City cab at West 34th Street and Sixth Avenue in the Herald Square section of Manhattan, New York. Picture: Getty

Rebecca Stewart and her nine-year-old son Tyler were on holiday in NYC when they were struck by an out-of-control taxi on Christmas Day. Picture: 7NEWS

Vision of the incident shows New Yorkers eventually pushing the taxi off the mother and son.

“He broke his right femur. He’s got severe, what do you call it, burns on his leg as well. He’s going to be in hospital for quite some time,” she said, adding he had already endured two operations.

“We were just here for Christmas holidays. Christmas and New Year’s. Day three in the city and that happened.’’

The New York Police Department said the driver suffered a medical episode, reportedly due to his blood pressure just after 4pm.

The 58-year-old was also transported to hospital and NYPD said there was “no criminality suspected in the crash”.

The taxi was towed after it was written off. Picture: Getty

Witness Ryan Tucker, from Oregon, told Eyewitness News, his wife was hit from behind but was uninjured. He said as soon as he saw the mother and son pinned under the car he and a group of others stepped in to free them.

“I ran over and noticed there was a little boy, his leg was underneath the front passenger tyre as it was spinning,’’ Mr Tucker said.

“And then there was a group of other people. One gentleman went over, shut the car off, got into it and shut it off.

“There was a whole group of us that ripped the fender off, lifted the car back and then that’s when I grabbed the little boy, got him to the corner, realised that what ended up being his mom underneath.’’

The damage seen from another angle. Picture: Getty

Three other women aged 19, 37 and 49, were taken to hospital for treatment.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the two Australians injured.

The taxi driver, who wasn’t named, was transported to a hospital in “stable condition” for “further evaluation,” the NYPD said.

Police have not made any arrests “at this time” and said their investigation into is “ongoing.”

Originally published as Australian mum tells of how she and her son were injured in New York City taxi crash