A Queens man whose vehicle jumped a curb and struck four people in the East Village Wednesday was arrested for driving while under the influence after he refused a breathalyzer test, police said.

The driver, 32-year-old Shaun Martin, was also allegedly found in possession of hashish in his sock while being treated at Bellevue Hospital following the 8:30 a.m. crash, said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

The scene in the East Village early Wednesday after a vehicle, seen at left, jumped a curb on Second Avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets. Getty Images

The accident occurred when the rented Nissan Altima that Mr. Martin was driving south on Second Avenue mounted the curb between Fourth and Fifth Street and struck a tree, parking meter and fire hydrant. "All of those things are knocked down and some of them projected like a missile," Mr. Browne said.

Four people were injured in the accident, including three employees of a 24-hour bodega who were watering flowers outside of the shop, police said. A 62-year-old employee sustained serious injuries, while his 54-year-old and 39-year-old co-workers were less seriously hurt.

A 37-year-old bicyclist who was pedaling a Citi Bike south on Second Avenue was struck by an uprooted fire hydrant, causing him to fall off his bike, Mr. Browne said. He was treated and released from Bellevue Hospital.

Mr. Martin has prior convictions for DUI and cocaine possession, Mr. Browne said. He couldn't be reached for comment, and it was unclear if he had a lawyer.

Matt Leayr, 44 years old, who lives in a fifth-floor walk-up near the corner where the accident occurred, said he was in bed when he heard what "sounded like a 10-car pile up."

"My wife had gone for a jog literally five or 10 minutes before this happened and walked the path where this happened just before starting her jog," Mr. Leayr said. "I woke up and didn't know where she was. I jumped out of bed and looked over the edge and saw absolute carnage. I saw the flower guy just lying there motionless, debris everywhere." Mr. Leayr, a computer engineer, went on his balcony and shot several photos that show a man splayed out on the sidewalk alongside mangled bicycles that had once been locked up.

Eric McCarthy, 47, a real-estate manager, who lives on the south side of Fourth Street, described a chaotic scene.

"I was woken up by what sounded like an explosion. It was that loud. I opened the window, stuck my head outside. The car was on fire, just chaos," Mr. McCarthy said. "There were pieces of the car, pieces of bike, the phone booth lying in the middle of the street, the guy from the deli was lying in the middle of the sidewalk."

Write to Tamer El-Ghobashy at tamer.el-ghobashy@wsj.com