TLC: Driver Who Hit Children on Bronx Sidewalk Works for Uber [Updated]
Warning: Graphic video
Updates below
The livery cab driver who sped onto a sidewalk and injured a woman and several children this morning in the Bronx was driving a vehicle affiliated with an Uber base, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
TLC spokesperson Allan Fromberg said the cab operates from Uber’s Schmecken hub. Fromberg said the driver has held a TLC for-hire vehicle license since 1998.
The driver’s name has been shielded by the TLC and NYPD. The Post reported that he is 57 years old.
Video of the crash, published by the Post, shows a group of kids standing next to a building at 229 E. Kingsbridge Road when the car, a Toyota Camry, enters the frame at high speed, running them over.
The driver told police he “lost control” of the cab, according to the Post. NYPD used the same language to describe the crash to Streetsblog this morning.
Three of the victims were a 33-year-old woman and her two kids. Two other children were also hurt. Injuries to the children included broken legs, head trauma, and chest trauma, the Post reported. FDNY said two of the children were hospitalized in critical condition.
Police had filed no charges or issued no summonses as of this afternoon. Unless the driver is convicted of a crime or traffic violation he will in all likelihood remain in good standing with the TLC.
Drivers working for Uber or driving Uber-affiliated vehicles have killed at least two New York City pedestrians this year, including a 12-year-old boy who was hit in a school zone. A lawsuit stemming from one of the crashes claims the driver was distracted by Uber software. Speed was reportedly a factor in both collisions.
We have a message in with Uber for further details on the driver and the crash.
Update: Uber says the driver was not using the company’s platform today and has been suspended from Uber pending an investigation. Like NYPD and TLC, Uber did not release the driver’s name. “Our thoughts are with the victims of this tragic accident and we are assisting the City with its investigation,” the company said in a statement.
Update: TLC says it has suspended the driver pending the outcome of the NYPD investigation.
