After 21-year-old Jason King was fatally struck by a truck backing up through an intersection on East 86th Street, driver Anthony Regisford was issued a summons for failing to secure a load and another one for not having a medical card. But Assembly Member Micah Kellner, author of Elle's Law, pointed out there are laws "on the books for the police and the DA to use as tools to punish reckless driving and take dangerous drivers off the road." Well, ask and ye shall receive, because the driver has also been hit with a summons in violation of Vehicle Traffic Law Section 1146.
Steve Vaccaro of Transportation Alternatives tells us, "after Senator [Liz] Kruger and AM Kellner wrote their letters to [Manhattan DA] Cy Vance and [Police Commissioner] Ray Kelly, a summons under VTL Section 1146 (as amended by Elle's Law and Hayley & Diego's Law) was issued to the killer of Jason King." The section states that drivers must "exercise due care to avoid colliding with any bicyclist, pedestrian, or domestic animal upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary." Police believe that King was listening to his iPod at the time of the crash, but as Transportation Alternatives previously said, "iPods don't kill people, negligent drivers do."
Brooklyn Senator Carl Kruger has also used the incident as fuel for his proposed ban on texting, talking on cell phones or listening to headphones while crossing the street. Because when in doubt, blame the victim.
