The New York Police department is investigating the car crash that killed 60 Minutes journalist Bob Simon late Wednesday. He was 73 years old.
Simon was riding in the back of a for-hire Lincoln Town Car when the crash occurred on the West Side Highway at around 6:45 p.m. The driver lost control, then struck a Mercedes-Benz that was stopped at a red light. The car then hit the median.
Police said today that Simon was not wearing a seatbelt at the time, notes USA Today. It is not required for passengers to wear seat belts in “livery vehicles,” including Town Cars.
A law enforcement official told the Wall Street Journal that the early investigation did find that speed “may have been a factor” in the crash. His wife, Francoise, told authorities that he was going to a medical seminar.
When emergency responders arrived at the scene, Simon was found unconscious and suffered injuries to his head and stomach. He was rushed to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The driver of the car was Abdul Reshad Fedahi, 44. He is currently in fair condition at Bellevue Hospital. The driver of the Mercedes, Zachary Miller, 23, was not injured.
Simon’s death was felt across the journalism community, with an outpouring of support shown from CBS News and his competitors. 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager called him a “reporter’s reporter.”
image courtesy of Walter McBride/INFphoto.com