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Tourist Who Lost Leg in Midtown Crash Is Slowly Improving, Family Says

By Ben Fractenberg | August 30, 2013 2:29pm
 Sian Green, whose leg was severed in a cab crash near Rockefeller Center, had her condition upgraded from serious to fair on Aug. 29, 2013.
Sian Green Condition Upgraded
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MANHATTAN — Sian Green, the young British tourist who lost a leg when a taxi slammed into her on a sidewalk across from Rockefeller Center, has been making slow but steady improvement in the hospital, her family's lawyer said.

Green, 23, was upgraded from serious to stable condition at Bellevue Medical Center after her left leg below the knee had to be amputated earlier this month when a cab being driven by Mohammed F. Himon slammed into her Aug. 20, severing part of her leg.

The British tourist was on her first day of vacation, sitting with a friend, eating a hot dog, when she was struck.

"The family would like to express gratitude to the hundreds of people who have reached out and who have offered support, especially to the staff at Bellevue, the Pennsylvania Hotel (who has provided the family with a place to stay while overseas), and the many New Yorkers who have shown kindness and care during this difficult time," said the family's lawyer, Daniel G.P. Marchese in a Friday statement.

Green's life was saved by a group of good Samaritans, including Dr. Mehmet Oz, who tied a tourniquets around both her legs and packed her severed limbs into a container full of ice.

Himon, 24, was issued a summons after the accident for not being authorized to drive the cab.

He surrendered his hack license to the Taxi and Limousine Commission on Aug. 23 for a 30-day suspension after the agency began reviewing the seven points on his driving records and four TLC permit infractions.

In an interview outside of Bellevue, Himon apologized and blamed a bicyclist for causing the accident.

He said a biker banged on the hood of his cab and threatened him, causing him to lose control and veer into the bike lane and was trying to turn west through pedestrian traffic onto 49th Street.

Investigators were still going through the lengthy process of recreating the incident.

"The [Collision Investigation Squad] investigation is still looking at it," said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly at an unrelated press conference Thursday. "Again, as I said last week, it takes some time to reconstruct accidents."