Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Carnage

Dan Fellegara Killed by Cab Driver in Manhattan, No Charges Filed

2:17 PM EDT on April 30, 2012

An outlaw committed suicide on Sixth Avenue early Sunday morning. At least that's how the death of Dan Fellegara was reported by the Post and Daily News.

Dan Fellegara. Photo via Facebook

Fellegara, a construction manager from Baltimore who, according to most accounts, was 29, was crossing Sixth at Watts Street in Soho at around 4:30 a.m. when he fell and was run over by a cab driver. From the News:

"They crossed on the red light," said the cabbie, who declined to use his name.

"They were running across, but one of the guys fell."

The driver said he had no time to stop.

"I hit the brake, but I ran over him," he said. "He ended up under the car. It was really bad."

Under the headline "Taxi kills jaywalking man in SoHo," the Post explains: "[Fellegara] was crossing against the light ... when he fell in the street and was hit by the oncoming yellow cab, police said." NYPD told Gothamist the victim was "attempting to evade oncoming traffic" and was "inadvertently struck." The driver was not charged.

It could be that Fellegara tried to run across Sixth Avenue against the light knowing that vehicles were approaching. But if you want to know how fast the cab driver was going, a factor that could have determined whether Fellegara lived or died, that information is apparently considered irrelevant by NYPD and city media. While questions of right of way are reported and repeated by default in cases like this one, driver speed is almost never mentioned by police in press accounts.

Note that the right of way question is only hammered home when the driver "has the light." In the thousands of cases where a pedestrian or cyclist has the right of way and is nonetheless injured or killed by an errant driver, the crash is virtually always deemed an "accident" by police and the media. This double standard goes a long way toward explaining why crossing against a light, or crossing mid-block, is considered akin to jumping in front of a train.

This fatal crash occurred in the 1st Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector Edward J. Winski, the commanding officer, head to the next precinct community council meeting. The 1st Precinct council meetings happen at 6:30 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month at the precinct, 16 Ericsson Place. Call the precinct at 212-334-0640 for information.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Can We Just Keep Cars Off the Queensbridge Baby Greenway?

Why do we allow car drivers to park on greenways, in parks and on tree beds?

March 29, 2024

Maximum Rage: Delivery Workers Protest Low Wages, App ‘Lockouts’

Couriers with bikes and signs urge the city to step in as Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash withhold work, they say.

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024
See all posts