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No Charges For Running Over Schoolkids On Queens Sidewalk
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 13, 2013
Modified Sep 13, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 13, 2013
Modified Sep 13, 2013
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The SUV driver who plowed into five teenagers on a Queens sidewalk yesterday morning has not been charged with any crime nor issued any summonses. This stands in stark contrast to another sidewalk collision yesterday: between a cyclist and Nicole Kidman in Manhattan. The crash in Queens resulted in very serious injuries; in Manhattan, Kidman was knocked down but unscathed. But in Kidman's case the cyclist was swiftly issued three summonses.
An NYPD spokesman confirmed today that the driver in yesterday's crash, Francis-Aung Lu, had not been charged or issued any summonses, but the investigation is still ongoing. The teens survived the crash with various injuries—it appears Ashley Khan, 13, got the worst of it. DNAinfo reports that Khan suffered a compound fracture to her left leg and a broken pelvis when she was pinned under the SUV. Another girl's back was broken.
"We lifted the car just enough to get the girls out," David Foubister, 40, at truck driver who witnessed the crash, told DNAinfo. "It was a whole community effort. The girls were in shock." Marina Abadir's uncle told the Daily News, "They’re not really sure how many bones are fractured in her body,” said Sherif El Gawly, 37, her uncle. "Marina is able to move her arms and legs. She can’t move her neck. She’s wearing a neck brace.”
Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley defended the driver, telling the News, “He hit the gas instead of the brake. This had everything to do with being an accident.”
Not to be outdone, the school's principal sent out a memo to parents reminding kids not to listen to headphones when walking around. Here's video of the "accident," which shows none of the teens listening to headphones:
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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