Cabbie who blamed cyclist after he maimed pedestrian back behind the wheel

A New York cab driver who blamed a cyclist for distracting him after he mounted a kerb and hit a British tourist, causing her to lose her leg, is driving a cab again.

In August last year driver Mohammed Himon, 24, hit 40-year-old bike courier Kenneth Olivo before mounting the pavement outside Rockefeller Plaza and ploughing into British tourist Sian Green, 23 who was sitting on a wall eating a hot dog at the time.

The impact severed Green’s left foot and she was saved from potentially bleeding to death by bystanders who used improvised tourniquets to treat the wound. The damage was too severe for surgeons to be able to reattach her foot.

Himon blamed Olivo for the crash, claiming the cyclist had caused him to panic and lose control of his vehicle when he banged on the car. Olivo said he had been trying to get the driver’s attention as Himon was turning into him.

No charges were brought against Himon, though New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) suspended his licence for 30 days. In light of this and his previous driving violations, the TLC asked Himon to voluntarily surrender his license, but he declined.

After the crash that cost Green her leg, Himon said he wanted to try and find another line of work.

“Driving in the city is so dangerous,” he said. “I don’t want to drive a taxi. I want to study medicine to help people.”

However, he has returned to driving while he decides what he wants to do, said his lawyer, Cynthia Fisher

“He has been driving regularly, uneventfully — thank God — and just doing what he has to do,” she told the New York Post.

“He brought his family over here. Right now he’s trying to maintain them until he figures out what his next move is going to be,” she added. “I don’t think he’s really made up his mind yet.”

Himon’s first move after getting his licence back was to lie about his driving in order to get a job. He was fired from Arthur cab after his past came out.

“I asked if he had any accidents. He said no. He drove here two days,” a manager at Arthur Cab told the Post. “The TLC called and asked if he was working for us, and then they told me.”

Meanwhile Green is suing Himon and the city of New York for $27.5 million (£16.4 million), claiming that Himon’s licence should have been suspended before the crash because he had previous infractions for speeding and running a red light, and in 2010 was involved in another crash in which a person was injured.