New York City accused of not preventing serious taxi accident

New York City pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles often have no choice but to maneuver around one another in highly congested and fast-moving areas. That’s why the city of New York, like others around the country, has policies and enforcement practices in place to ensure that no one is on the road that shouldn’t be. One woman is claiming that the city failed to do its part to keep a dangerous driver off the road, ultimately contributing to the accident that left her permanently disabled.

The accident happened in late August of this year when a taxicab veered off the road and struck a woman standing on the sidewalk after colliding with a bicycle messenger. The female pedestrian involved in the incident was seriously injured and had to have her left leg amputated as a result. Now, the accident victim has filed a personal injury lawsuit against New York City claiming that the entire accident may have been avoided if the city had done its job and suspended the taxicab driver’s license prior to the incident.

Following the incident, the city allegedly conducted an investigation and decided that no criminal charges would be filed against the taxicab driver. The accident victim and her family disagree with that decision. According to the plaintiff’s lawsuit, the taxicab driver’s license should have automatically been suspended by the Taxi and Limousine Commission because he had seven points against him for motor vehicle violations.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission apparently admits that a malfunction in their computer system resulted in thousands of taxicab driver’s licenses remaining active even though they warranted suspension.

For failing to prevent such horrific taxi accidents, the plaintiff is suing the city for $27.5 million.

Source: New York Daily News, “Taxi victim Sian Green will file $27.5M lawsuit against New York City,” Barbara Ross, Larry McShane, Dec. 10, 2013