Bob Simon Wasn't Wearing Seat Belt in Fatal Crash

They're not required in livery cabs
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 12, 2015 3:59 PM CST
Bob Simon Wasn't Wearing Seat Belt in Fatal Crash
A police officer tows the car in which Bob Simon was riding.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

It's not clear whether it would have made a difference given the severity of the crash, but the NYPD says Bob Simon was not wearing a seat belt in yesterday's fatal accident, reports USA Today. The 73-year-old CBS News journalist was killed when the Town Car in which he was a passenger struck another vehicle and then slammed into metal barriers between lanes in Manhattan, reports AP. Passengers aren't required to wear seat belts in such "livery cabs."

CBS New York reports that Simon was thrown from the backseat into the front of the vehicle, where he was found unconscious. (Other reports say he was found in the backseat.) The driver of his car, Abdul Reshad Fedahi, suffered leg and arm injuries, while the driver of the vehicle he rear-ended was not injured. Fedahi has two convictions for moving violations in the last year, along with nine previously cleared suspensions, the TV station reports. Witnesses have said the Town Car was driving erratically at a high speed before the crash, reports the Daily News. (More car accident stories.)

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