Taxi Driver Who Hit 3 May Go Free
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The taxi driver who hit three people, killing one, in Murray Hill last night after barreling onto a sidewalk will likely not be charged criminally in the incident, police officials said.
After looking at footage from a security camera that caught the taxi driving north on Third Avenue before it skidded onto the sidewalk near East 40th Street, investigators determined that the driver was actually cut off, causing him to lose control, a police source said.
The incident, which killed Paul Smith, 60, a helicopter pilot for WABC-Channel 7 from West Islip, will likely be officially deemed an accident, a police source said. Smith, his wife, Donna, and a 7-year-old were hit around 9:45 p.m. on Monday evening after the cab, whose driver was not identified by police, lost control and jumped onto the sidewalk, police said.
Mrs. Smith, 55, was rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian-Cornell Hospital and treated for a broken leg, police said.
The 7-year-old victim, who was not identified, was taken to Bellevue with a fractured arm, police said.
The taxi hit Smith just as he was standing on the sidewalk outside of Docks Oyster Bar and Seafood Grill on Second Avenue shortly after leaving a family birthday party at the restaurant.