The yellow cabbie who rammed into two ladies on a metropolis sidewalk had her taxi license suspended Tuesday, officers mentioned — as one in every of her passengers described his personal experience from hell simply hours earlier than the harrowing crash.
The Taxi and Limousine Fee mentioned it pulled 25-year-old Mahamuda Akter’s license as an investigation into Saturday afternoon’s caught-on-video chaos continues.
Chilling footage captured the runaway cab barreling into pedestrians — sending each of them to the hospital — after which smashing by means of a Decrease East Facet bodega at round 2:45 p.m., authorities mentioned.
“I used to be placing lipstick on the sidewalk and all of the sudden a taxi rammed into us out of nowhere,” graphic designer Millicent Faber, 24, who was hurled onto the sidewalk, informed The Put up on Sunday.
Faber mentioned the crash fractured each of her legs, whereas her 25-year-old good friend, who was launched down the basement stairs outdoors the nook deli, suffered a damaged again and a concussion.
“I by no means thought one thing like this is able to occur to me, however I’m completely happy to be alive,” she mentioned.
The reason for the crash stays underneath investigation and Akter has not been charged.
A passenger who was in the identical taxi hours earlier than the crash informed The Put up that the cabbie was driving erratically even then, turning his morning experience from Battery Park to the East Village right into a 30 minute rollercoaster.
“I’ve by no means been that unsafe in a taxi, it was loopy,” mentioned Tom, a 29-year-old Manhattan resident, who requested to not be recognized utilizing his full identify.
He offered pictures he took that displaying his cab’s medallion and license plate quantity, which matched with the yellow taxi that crashed later that day. He additionally mentioned he acknowledged his driver because the one captured in video of the aftermath of the collision.
Akter was authorized for a TLC license in October and had no violations main as much as the crash, a spokesman for the fee informed The Put up. A DMV official additionally mentioned that there have been no infractions tied to the driving force.
“We take the security of pedestrians, the driving public, and drivers extraordinarily significantly, and we’re grateful that everybody concerned in Saturday’s crash suffered solely minor accidents and hope they make a full restoration,” mentioned TLC Press Secretary Jason Kersten in an announcement Tuesday.
“We now have suspended the driving force after coordinating with the NYPD, which remains to be investigating.”
Tom, the cabbie’s passenger from earlier on Saturday, mentioned his personal experience began going off the rails at round 9 a.m., when he claimed the driving force took a flawed flip as she made her into the Hugh Carey Tunnel.
“I lookup and she or he’s driving into the tunnel that goes over to Brooklyn and I’m like ‘oh whoa, you’ve taken the flawed flip,’” he mentioned. “And he or she’s stopped simply earlier than the tunnel and I’m like you possibly can’t cease right here, you simply bought to undergo now, you’ve dedicated, it’s a technique.”
As she drove within the tunnel, Tom claimed the driving force appeared down at her cellphone and brushed towards the cones that separate site visitors on the roadway — earlier than slicing throughout three lanes as they exited, regardless of not having her facet mirror out.
As soon as they reached the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Tom mentioned he requested to get off at exits alongside the best way to discover a totally different experience, however the cabbie saved going, driving onto the Manhattan Bridge whereas once more wanting down at her cellphone for instructions and “nearly hitting the barrier,” he claimed.
When he lastly bought to his vacation spot, Tom mentioned he refused to pay the $30 fare, telling the cabbie “you nearly killed us” — however “she locked the doorways and wouldn’t let me out.”
The pair settled on a $20 fare, Tom mentioned, including that he known as 911 to report the alleged reckless driver, after which phoned 311 on Sunday after he came upon in regards to the downtown crash.
The TLC spokesperson mentioned the company was wanting right into a 311 report filed Sunday. Tom mentioned he spoke a TLC staffer on Tuesday in regards to the report.
