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Cop May Have Been Talking On Cellphone When She Fatally Struck Schoolteacher
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 9, 2013
Modified Jul 9, 2013
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jul 9, 2013
Modified Jul 9, 2013
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After initially stating that the police officer who struck and killed Felix Coss in a crosswalk on Saturday would not be facing any charges, the NYPD is now investigating whether that officer was on her cellphone at the time of the crash. According to DNAinfo's sources, witnesses told police that the driver of the marked police van, Paula Medrano, was on her cellphone when she failed to yield at the crosswalk and fatally struck Coss. The sources said Medrano refused to hand her cellphone over to investigators, and the department has subpoenaed her phone records.
An NYPD spokeswoman said that as of this morning, no charges have been filed against Medrano, and that the investigation is ongoing.
Both daily tabloids also carried the report that Medrano, 45, may have been on her cellphone. The Daily News quotes a witness: “She had a cellphone to her right ear. She hit him. When she hit him, he fell on the floor and cracked his head open.”
Medrano was not responding to an emergency and was wearing civilian clothes at the time she hit Coss, a schoolteacher who lives and works just blocks from where he was killed in Williamsburg.
Driving while talking on a cell phone carries a $100 fine and five points on a license. It was also the most commonly cited moving violation by the NYPD in 2012 [PDF].
Tagged
cis
pedestrian fatality
pedestrian safety
williamsburg
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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