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Family Has No Sympathy for Epileptic Cabbie
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 17, 2010
Modified Apr 17, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 17, 2010
Modified Apr 17, 2010
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Cabbie Hassan Afzal was sentenced to five years probation for causing the accident that killed 20-year-old Danielle Ricco in 2006. Though he initially denied the accident was his fault, Afzal later admitted that he had stopped taking his seizure medication, and a seizure caused him to go unconscious while driving and crash his cab on the West Side Highway. Ricco's family had no sympathy for the driver today, saying at the sentencing, "You ruined enough lives by your carelessness, if that’s what it was, and I hope you live knowing this every day of the rest of your life."
Ricco's friend Amy Vallerelli, who was injured in the accident, said Afzal seemed like he had no remorse. "Why can't you just say you're sorry?" she screamed in court. "I just want him to say he's sorry! What is wrong with him?" She later yelled "Monster!" as he passed her outside the courtroom. "You don't even care that you killed someone and put three people in the hospital! You're a pig! You're a maniac! You're disgusting!" Before the accident, Ricco allegedly asked Afzal to slow down. According to Vallerelli, he "just laughed" at the request.
His behavior could have had something to do with his "gelastic seizures," which are often preceded by sudden outbursts of emotion. According to WCBS, Afzal never made any statement of apology. Ricco's mom said, "He should not be allowed to leave the state of New York or get his passport. My daughter is in the state of New York, in a cemetery, in a vault. She cannot leave."
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cab
cabbie
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epileptic
hassan afzal
seizure
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Jaya Saxena
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