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DMV Revokes License Of Driver Who Killed 3-Year-Old In Crosswalk
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jan 21, 2015
Modified Jan 21, 2015
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jan 21, 2015
Modified Jan 21, 2015
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The driver who killed 3-year-old Allison Liao as she crossed the street holding her grandmother's hand was given two traffic tickets. A DMV judge later dismissed those tickets in a 47-second hearing, and the Queens DA declined to prosecute, calling the crash an "accident," despite graphic video evidence and Ahmad Abu-Zayedeh's admission that he had two glasses of wine before he turned into the Flushing crosswalk and struck Liao. But following a DMV safety hearing on the incident earlier this month, a judge has revoked Abu-Zayedeh's license.
Administrative law judge Francis Fuchs declined to issue a ruling at the safety hearing on January 6. A DMV spokeswoman said his decision came six days later, on the 13th. A written decision, which would include the time period after which Abu-Zayedeh may reapply for a license, is still pending.
Abu-Zayedeh's attorney, Francis Scahill, has not yet returned a request for comment.
"On behalf of the Liao family and the many others who have lost family members to traffic violence, I welcome the news that the New York State DMV has revoked the license of Ahmed Abu-Zayedeh, who struck and killed 3 year old Ally Liao in the crosswalk while she crossed with the right of way, hand-in-hand with her grandmother," Liao family attorney Steve Vaccaro says.
"This sanction cannot compensate for the harm caused—nothing can. But it affirms our shared understanding that driving is a privilege, not a right, to be forfeited when thoughtless or reckless acts cause grave harm."
Vaccaro, who is representing the Liaos in a civil claim against Abu-Zayedeh, also represents two other families who are waiting to have their own DMV safety hearings over the next several weeks; Mathieu Lefevre, who was killed by a truck driver in East Williamsburg, and Ryo Oyamada, who was killed by an NYPD officer driving an allegedly speeding police cruiser in Queensbridge.
The driver in Lefevre's case fled the scene, and has faced no criminal penalties; his license was suspended pending an investigation, but the suspension was inexplicably lifted.
The officer who killed Oyamada was subjected to an internal NYPD investigation and the department found no wrongdoing.
Tagged
allison liao
dmv
pedestrian safety
vision zero
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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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