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Video: Father Of Fort Greene Child Killed By Reckless Driver Struggles To "Find Another Way To Exist"
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Mar 12, 2014
Modified Mar 12, 2014
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Katie Friedman
By
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Published Mar 12, 2014
Modified Mar 12, 2014
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In November, 9-year-old Lucian Merryweather was killed when Anthony Byrd, 59, drove his SUV the wrong way down a street and struck several cars before pinning Lucian against a wall in Fort Greene. His 4-year-old brother was seriously injured, but survived.
In the video below, produced by the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and first published on The Nabe, Gregory Merryweather, the father of Lucian and an architect based in DUMBO, discusses his life following the accident, and how quickly a life can be extinguished, all because a reckless driver wanted to go somewhere as fast as possible.
Remembering Lucian Merryweather from The Nabe on Vimeo.
The driver, Byrd, was originally charged with a litany of felonies, including criminally negligent homicide and second degree assault. The assault charge however, has been reduced to a misdemeanor. This means the most severe charge Byrd will face is a possible four year prison sentence, with the possibility of no jail time even if found guilty.
Right now Byrd is free on $15,000 bond. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In the video, Gregory Merryweather says that his family's "life the way it was is over, so ‘normal’ isn’t really the point anymore. It’s about finding another way to exist.” [Via Streetsblog]
Tagged
assault
murder
safe streets
traffic fatality
vision zero
Max Rivlin-Nadler
Max Rivlin-Nadler has been a contributor to Gothamist since 2013. He has also reported for the New York Times, NPR, and The Intercept. His years-long investigation into New York City's arcane civil forfeiture laws led to a series of reforms which altered a practice that had been taking millions from poor communities for decades. Recently, he brought back a surfing habit from a few years on the west coast, and would love to see you all out in the Rockaways.
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