The investigation into the accident that killed CBS News correspondent Bob Simon has found the black Lincoln Town Car in which the “60 Minutes” icon was riding had accelerated in the seconds before the crash. Simon was riding in the livery cab’s back seat, but was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver, Abdul Reshad Fedahi, suffered two broken legs and a broken arm, but has not been charged.
According to an account by The New York Times:
Around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the police said, the 2010 Lincoln Town Car was traveling south in the left lane on 12th Avenue near 30th Street when traffic began slowing for a red light. In the center lane, a black 2003 Mercedes-Benz sedan also slowed.
AdvertisementBut the livery cab accelerated, the police said. The front passenger’s side of the car struck the rear driver’s side of the Mercedes-Benz, and then the livery cab swerved into the thick metal bollards that line the median.
The police did not find any skid marks that would suggest the livery cab’s brakes were used before the crash.
Both Mr. Fedahi and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz, who was uninjured, tested negative for alcohol.
The New York Post cites a law enforcement source who says Simon’s driver likely stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake. “That’s what they’re thinking. He sped up after hitting the car.”