The cab driver who severely injured a tourist when his cab mounted the curb in Midtown Manhattan just outside of Rockerfeller Center yesterday has avoided charges. However, Mohammed Himon was given an administrative summons for the unauthorized operation of his vehicle, meaning he could be fined anywhere from $100 to $350.
Sian Green, who was visitng the city from London, was seated outside of Rockerfeller Center with a friend eating a hot dog when Himon's cab hit her. The 21-year-old's leg was severed right below the knee and doctors told her father that they were forced to amputate "what's left of her foot." Her right leg was also injured, but a group of pedestrians including plumber David Justino and Dr. Mehmet Oz made makeshift tourniquets out of Justino's plumbing belt and a dog leash.
Bike messenger Kenneth Olivo was also hit by Himon, but only sustained minor injuries. Speaking with the the New York Post, Olivo suggests that Himon's aggressive driving might've led to the accident. "The hood of his car was so close to me, I could touch it. I told him to stop, he gets angry, he honks his horn, and he accelerates, and that’s it—I’m on the hood of the car, and the woman is under his car,’’ he explained.
Himon is wracked with guilt. “I feel really, really bad . . . It was a very bad accident,’’ he told the Post. “Actually, I can’t even remember it. It happened really quick. I was very upset. I am praying to Allah for her that she is getting better. Please pray for her and me.’’
Aside from the administrative summons, Himon was issued an identical summons and a citation for displaying incorrect information on his rate card.
[via Gothamist and New York Post]
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