Unlicensed Driver Faces Wrist Slap After Killing Queens Cyclist William Faison

A motorist who was reportedly driving with a suspended license will likely get off with a slap on the wrist after she killed a cyclist in Queens last week.

Reports say William Faison, 53, was riding south on 228th Street in Cambria Heights at around 8:50 a.m. Friday when 26-year-old Tiffany Delcia Moore hit him with a Kia sedan as she drove west on 120th Avenue.

From the Post:

Craig Henley, a relative of Faison, ran to the scene.

“He tried to open his eyes to see me,” he said. “His mouth wasn’t moving. Then he started moving his mouth, like he was trying to breathe.”

Medics took Faison to Jamaica Hospital, but he couldn’t be saved. His brother Marcus went there to see his body and kissed his forehead, relatives said.

“He was a very good son. He took care of me,” Faison’s mother told the Post. “I don’t know how to feel. He was a loving son.”

The Post reported that Moore “collapsed in horror” after the crash, and “was not believed to have been speeding or on the phone.” She was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation.

“He would still be alive if she was not driving,” said Henley. “You do not drive on a suspended license.”

Aggravated unlicensed operation is a misdemeanor that stipulates that Moore drove without a license when she knew or should have known she didn’t have one. Third degree aggravated unlicensed operation is the default charge against unlicensed drivers who kill cyclists and pedestrians in NYC, and it’s the same charge police and prosecutors apply when an unlicensed driver turns without signaling. It carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Unlicensed drivers kill people on a regular basis in NYC, and have taken the lives of at least 12 pedestrians and cyclists since January 2013, according to crash data compiled by Streetsblog.

This fatal crash occurred in the 105th Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector Michael Coyle, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 105th Precinct council meetings happen at 8 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at 92-08 222 Street in Queens Village. Call 718-776-9176 for information.

The City Council district where William Faison was killed is represented by I. Daneek Miller. To encourage Miller to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 718-776-3700, District27@council.nyc.gov or @IDaneekMiller.