Passenger Thrown From Cab During Accident

Worrying about being hit by a car while walking is one thing, and worrying about being hit by a drunk driver is another. Diana Tafur was ejected from a minivan taxi when it was hit by drunk driver in a BMW. The BMW driver, Harzem Sendogan, ran a red light on East 84th Street at First Avenue, and Tafur was "ejected from her seat in the back of the van through a side window and onto the street," next to a parked car. After last week's hit and run on 14th and First Avenue, where a drunk driver killed a pedstrian, you'd think people would think twice about driving and drinking. Tafur was not wearing a seat belt, and is being treated for severe head injuries at Weill Cornell Medical. Sendogan was charged with driving while intoxicated and assault.

The Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn't seem to specifically outline that passengers should wear seat belts, though there are signs that suggest passengers have to wear seat belts. Does the TLC need to bring back the celebrities reminding people to buckle up recordings? And in some cities, drivers won't move the car unless passengers are buckled up And in other accident news, a Barnard student was hit by a car while jogging at the intersection of West 79th and Riverside Drive - it's a particularly bad intersection, as Riverside Park and traffic from the West Side Highway is there.