On Tuesday a taxi driver lost control of his car and jumped the curb near Rockefeller Center, severing the legs of a British tourist who was sitting down and eating a hot dog.
One of the injured victims was a man on a bike who was thrown into the air, and the cab driver, Mohammed Faysal Himon, is partially blaming him for the accident.
Looks like at least 3 people injured - person who looks most hurt is in the bushes
Bradd Jaffy
@BraddJaffy
Looks like at least 3 people injured - person who looks most hurt is in the bushes
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"A lot of bikers disregard the bike lanes and drive wherever they want," Himon told the New York Post.
The city wastes a lot of money by giving them all these bike lanes, and for what? Honestly, I have no problem with bikers. They should just stay in their lane and I'll stay in mine.
He told the New York Post in detail what happened on Tuesday:
He was in my way and I got upset, so I gave him notice that I wanted to pass through. He started pounding on my car with his hands and was yelling things at me. I suddenly felt like I had to get out of there. It was becoming a bad situation. So I accelerated to get in front of him... I don't know how, but I just lost control of the car. I was in shock. When I crashed, I didn't even see the lady. At first, I didn't think I hit anyone, then I saw her foot by my car. I can't get it out of my mind... I personally feel that if that man on the bike didn't bang on my car, maybe this would not have happened.
The cyclist was this man, Kenneth Olivo, 40. Olivio has 22 arrests on his record — including a recent bust for threatening to decapitate a man.
Mohammed Faysal Himon expressed remorse for what happened to the tourist, Sian Green.
"I will pray for her," he said. The accident was "a disaster for me. Someone lost a part of their leg because of all this. It was so disturbing. I was afraid I was going to lose all my senses. When I saw her leg, I froze. I couldn't walk or talk," he said.
Himon has a checkered driving record. A crash in 2010 left him with a $50 fine, and over the next year he received three moving violations that totaled nine points on his license and $415 in fines.
"I don't want to drive a taxi," Himon, who is a Bangladeshi immigrant, told the Post. "There's too much stress when you're driving in the city."
This is Green, 23, who lost part of her left leg in the accident. Her father said that doctors had to amputate "what's left of her foot." Her right leg was also mangled in the accident.
Neither the cab driver or cyclist have been charged with any crimes, but Himon was issued a summons for "unauthorized operation of his vehicle," which may carry a fine between $100 and $350.
