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Bus Driver In Fatal Incident Was Previously Suspended For Texting
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 9, 2009
Modified Nov 9, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 9, 2009
Modified Nov 9, 2009
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Last Wednesday morning a 22-year-old Seth Kahn was struck and killed by a bus while crossing the street at West 53rd Street and 9th Avenue. Area residents noted that the intersection was dangerous, one being hit there just two months ago. Now the Daily News reports on the bus driver's history.
Allegedly the 39-year-old NYC Transit driver Jeremy Philhower "was suspended weeks before the accident and the agency had begun disciplinary proceedings to fire him." While investigators don't believe he was using his phone at the time of the accident, they do say that he often used it "to post disparaging comments about his passengers to Facebook while on duty." Instead of being let go, however, he was simply sent to driver safety and customer service training courses. His first day back on the job was last Wednesday.
Philhower's family say he is distraught, but at Kahn's funeral yesterday the victim's friends and family declared: "he should have never been allowed to drive people around. It's not right. I can't believe a bus driver would be updating Facebook when he's supposed to be giving all his attention to driving. It's so outrageous."
Tagged
accident
bus
death
jeremy philhower
MTA
nyc transit
Seth Kahn
suspended
texting
West 53rd Street
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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