Many questions surround the cab driver whose cab careened out of control, killing one woman and injuring three others. The family of driver Hassan Afzal, who only had his taxi license for five week, say he has had a seizure before. Afzal, however, says the brakes failed, while his cab company says there was nothing wrong with the car. The police are asking to subpoena Afzal's hospital records for the investigation.
The injured passengers have said that Afzal was speeding down the West Side Highway to scare them after they asked him to turn down his radio, and the father of two injured passengers claims that Afzal was trying to flirt with his older daughter. John Sallustio told the Post that accoridng to his 16 year old daughter Anna, Afzal took a liking to 21 year old daughter Enza. Sallustio added that his younger daughter also said Afzal passed out before the crash and that the girls in the back seat were yelling for Danielle Ricco to grab the wheel. Danielle died when she was ejected from the front passenger seat and then hit by an oncoming car. Enza is still unconscious, with bleeding from the brain, while Anna is in serious condition; the fourth passenger, Amy Vallarelli, is in critical condition. His cousin told the NY Times, "It was just an accident. Of course he feel bad for the people." Afzal still does not know that Ricco was killed.
Danielle's father Richard Ricco said, "She loved Manhattan. It's ironic that Manhattan ultimately did her in. You'd think she'd be safe coming home in a cab."
