Ray Kelly’s NYC: No Charges for Driver Who Dragged Woman Under Cab

12:18 PM EST on February 27, 2013

Emergency responders work to free Amy Fass from beneath a cab, after she was struck at W. 181st Street and Haven Avenue. The driver was not charged. Photo: Andrew Adams

A reader has identified the woman wounded by a cab driver in Upper Manhattan Sunday evening as Amy Fass of Washington Heights. The crash occurred in the 34th Precinct, where officers issued two speeding tickets in the last three months of 2012.

Fass was crossing 181st at Haven Avenue, near her home, at approximately 6:45 p.m. when she was struck as the cab driver appeared to be en route to the West Side Highway. Andrew Adams writes:

Amy, in her late 50s, was in the crosswalk when a driver of a SUV taxi struck her and drug her approximately 40 feet before he stopped when pedestrians screamed at him to do so. She was pinned underneath the taxi until emergency services responded to rescue her.

Another witness posted this account on a neighborhood parent list:

I saw when she was trapped under the taxi on Haven Ave. where it leads to the West Side Highway. The cab must have been speeding downhill on 181st. She lives on Haven in the building next to the highway entrance. My impression was that she was very badly hurt.

A third witness, James Ribas, told the Post: "I saw a cabby going real fast. He didn’t know he hit her."

Fass was conscious at the scene, but at some point went into cardiac and respiratory arrest, according to an FDNY spokesperson. She was considered "not likely" to die when transported to Lincoln Hospital.

Adams heard from a family member today that Fass remains hospitalized. Her release date is uncertain, but she will require physical rehabilitation, the family member said.

Despite witness accounts and other evidence indicating that the cab driver was speeding -- not to mention the fact that the driver struck a person and dragged her down the street -- the Post reported that no charges were filed. If NYPD protocol was adhered to, no investigation was conducted into this crash, which, at the very least, seriously disrupted the victim's life, and may have resulted in life-altering injuries.

This crash occurred in the 34th Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector Barry M. Buzzetti, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 34th Precinct council meets tonight at 7 p.m. at Yeshiva University’s Rubin Hall, 2501 Amsterdam Avenue at W. 185th Street. Call 212-927-0576 or 212-927-0287 for information.

The City Council district where this crash occurred is represented by Robert Jackson. To encourage Jackson to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 212-788-7007, rjackson@council.nyc.gov or @RJackson_NYC.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.

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