An uneasy cab ride through Manhattan hours earlier ended in a violent crash that left two women seriously injured and a driver sidelined by regulators.
According to the New York Post, city officials confirmed Tuesday that 25-year-old taxi driver Mahamuda Akter had her license suspended as authorities continue investigating a chaotic Lower East Side collision that was caught on video.
The Saturday afternoon crash unfolded around 2:45 p.m., when the yellow cab suddenly mounted a sidewalk, struck two pedestrians, and barreled into a neighborhood bodega.
Both victims were rushed to the hospital following the impact.
One of them, 24-year-old graphic designer Millicent Faber, recalled how quickly the moment turned from routine to terrifying.
“I was putting lipstick on the sidewalk and suddenly a taxi rammed into us out of nowhere,” she told The Post.
Faber said she suffered fractures in both legs. Her friend, also 25, was thrown down the basement stairs outside a nearby deli and sustained a broken back and a concussion.
“I never thought something like this would happen to me, but I’m happy to be alive,” she said.
Officials say the cause of the crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed against Akter.
But another account from earlier that same day is raising additional questions.
A passenger who rode in the taxi that morning described what he called a dangerous and erratic trip across the city.
“I’ve never been that unsafe in a taxi, it was crazy,” said Tom, a 29-year-old Manhattan resident.
According to Tom, the ride began around 9 a.m. and quickly went off course when the driver mistakenly headed toward the Hugh Carey Tunnel.
“I look up and she’s driving into the tunnel that goes over to Brooklyn and I’m like ‘oh whoa, you’ve taken the wrong turn,’” he said. “And she’s stopped just before the tunnel and I’m like you can’t stop here, you just got to go through now, you’ve committed, it’s one way.”
He claimed that once inside the tunnel, the driver looked down at her phone and brushed against traffic cones before abruptly cutting across multiple lanes while exiting.
Tom said the unsettling behavior continued onto the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and later the Manhattan Bridge, where he alleged the driver again checked her phone and “almost hitting the barrier.”
Despite asking to end the ride early, Tom said the driver continued on.
When they finally reached his destination, he refused to pay the full fare.
“You almost killed us,” he told her, claiming she then “locked the doors and wouldn’t let me out.”
The two ultimately agreed on a reduced fare, and Tom said he reported the incident to authorities, first calling 911 and later filing a complaint through 311 after learning about the crash.
Officials said the Taxi and Limousine Commission is reviewing that complaint as part of its investigation.
“We take the safety of pedestrians, the riding public, and drivers extremely seriously, and we are grateful that everyone involved in Saturday’s crash suffered only minor injuries and hope they make a full recovery,” said TLC Press Secretary Jason Kersten.
“We have suspended the driver after coordinating with the NYPD, which is still investigating.”
