By Alex Goldmark , WNYC
Four years ago, 31-year-old assistant professor Rasha Shamoon was struck and killed by a Range Rover at the corner of Bowery and Delancey while riding her bike home at 1:30 a.m.
Police interviewed the three people in the car, but listed no other witnesses in the police report. Several people called 911, but it’s unclear if they saw the crash. Cops determined Shamoon caused the crash and let the driver go.
But Rasha’s mother didn’t buy the story.
Samira Shamoon turned to the courts to get more answers. She brought a civil suit against the 21-year-old driver where he and his passengers were required to give detailed testimony. In February, the jury placed 95 percent of the fault on the driver, and 5 percent on Rasha Shamoon.
That finding stoked the mounting anger in the cycling community. Bike activists took it as evidence that the police were not serious about investigating cyclist deaths.
Last year, 21 cyclists were struck and killed but only two drivers were arrested. And about 40 percent of the time a driver is involved in a fatality – a pedestrian, cyclist, other motorist or themselves – not even a ticket is issued.
“We as a society have chosen to drive these big cars," said Joe McCormack, an assistant District Attorney for the Bronx whose job it is to prosecute traffic crimes. "And we also as a society have chosen not to criminalize every single small mistake that just has a dramatic consequence because you’re driving a car.”
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https://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/apr/09/few-fatal-bike-crashes-lead-arrest/oldId.2012041917464574
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