Cabbie Blames Cyclist He Hit and Bike Lanes for Midtown Curb-Jump Crash

The Post is doing its best to assign partial blame to the cyclist who was struck by cab driver Mohammed Himon in Tuesday morning's crash on Sixth Avenue, but the paper got Himon to confess that he intentionally stepped on the gas before mounting the curb and hitting Sian Green, the 23-year-old tourist who lost part of her leg.

Himon has a history of reckless driving, according to multiple reports, including another crash that resulted in injury. During an interview in which he said he needs to find a different job, Himon described the crash:

Himon's narrative, which the Post does not question, is that after laying on the horn, he became afraid of the cyclist and attempted to get away.

So according to Himon, he was so frightened by a cyclist in front of his cab, whom he could barely hear, that he hit the accelerator. As a result of that decision, he rammed the cyclist and continued driving onto the sidewalk, permanently maiming Green.

The Post doesn't bring this up, but if Himon was trying to turn left, there would have been a crosswalk full of pedestrians "in his way" just behind the cyclist. “We were crossing right in the middle of the crosswalk -- we had the crossing signal -- and as we were crossing with other pedestrians, the cab started to pull into the crosswalk,” said one witness to Fox News. "[There] was a man riding along this way on his bicycle with a backpack and he got picked up by the cabbie and was thrown up on the hood and up on his windshield. The cab really accelerated at a great speed."

Still, according to the Post, at least, Olivo could be charged. "Authorities blamed the accident on a road-rage beef between a cabby with a checkered driving record and a bicycle messenger with a lengthy rap sheet," the Post wrote, in a story about Green and her family. A possible charge is criminal mischief, according to attorney Steve Vaccaro.

The Post is probably delighted to print his ignorant views on bike infrastructure, but a protected bike lane on the left side of Sixth Avenue might have meant Himon would have been stopped by a bell bollard after a few feet, and Sian Green might still be enjoying her first trip to New York.

Unlike thousands of non-fatal incidents of vehicular violence that happen every year and don't get international attention, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance and NYPD are investigating this crash. The Taxi and Limousine Commission is moving to suspend Himon's hack license for 30 days.