Authorities say Abdul Reshad Fedahi, driver of the livery cab which crashed Wednesday night, killing "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon, has had his license suspended nine times and had just one hand on the steering wheel as a result of an earlier suicide attempt,
the New York Post reported.
Fedahi had reportedly been fired by his company after complaints about his driving. But he was hired back later by new management.
Fedahi, a 44-year-old Afghan immigrant who lives in a homeless shelter, mistakenly hit the gas pedal after grazing a vehicle on the West Side Highway, law enforcement sources said.
According to police, Fedahi's Lincoln Town car appeared to be speeding — traveling at up to 50 miles per hour, 15 miles over the speed limit — when he sideswiped a Mercedes-Benz C30 near West 30th Street at about 6:45 p.m.
Fedahi's car then veered to the left, sideswiping metal barriers separating the northbound and southbound lanes of the highway, totaling the vehicle.
Simon, riding without a seat belt in the back seat, suffered numerous injuries including a broken neck and severe trauma to his head and stomach. He had to be extricated through the roof of the mangled car.
On the way to the hospital, Simon went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at 7:20 p.m.
Fedahi broke both of his legs and suffered a broken arm in the accident. Police say that contrary to early reports, he did not suffer a heart attack.
He has not been charged in connection with the accident.
Fedahi, a rookie driver, began working for his company, Skyline Credit Ride, in October. Skyline has had a contract with CBS for three decades, and Fedahi had transported Simon several times before.
Police recovered a cellphone from the accident scene and are investigating to see whether Fedahi was using it when the crash occurred.
The New York Daily News reported that Fedahi had survived an apparent 2004 suicide attempt, in which he jumped out of a Brooklyn building after his marriage broke up.
"He was on a suicide mission," his cousin, Rauf Sharif, told the paper. "He dropped himself from a building. I don't know how many floors in Brooklyn. He went through hard days in his life."
As a result of the suicide attempt, Fedahi "has a messed-up arm," said another resident of the homeless shelter he lives in.
"One arm doesn't move at all. He does everything with one arm," the resident told the Post.
Another Skyline driver said Fedahi should not have been behind the wheel. He was fired after customer complaints about his driving, only to be rehired after a recent change in management.
While Fedahi's license had been suspended nine times for ignoring summonses and failure to pay fines, all of those infractions had been cleared, according to Department of Motor Vehicle officials.
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