Brooklyn Teacher Killed by NYPD Officer Driving and Talking on Cell Phone

Posted on 
July 11, 2013
By 
No Comments
Businesswoman sending a text while driving

According to Newser, a 61 year-old middle school Spanish teacher was killed by a NYPD Officer who was talking on her cell phone while driving. Officer Paula Medrano was making a left turn on Broadway from Hooper Street at approximately 4:30 p.m. this past Saturday when her police van struck Felix Coss, a pedestrian.

Mr. Coss and Officer Medrano both had the green light. However, police noted that Officer Medrano did not yield to the pedestrian. Also, police explained that Officer Medrano was not responding to an emergency at the time of the crash.

After eyewitnesses and police officers revealed that Officer Medrano was talking on her cell phone at the time of the incident, officers with Internal Affairs asked Officer Medrano to turn over her phone. However, she refused to cooperate. Consequently, her cell phone records have been subpoenaed.

Mr. Coss was just a few short blocks from his home at the time of the fatal crash. As of Monday, Officer Medrano was not charged with anything and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly declined to comment on any disciplinary action that might be taken by the department.

The impact of the police van hurled Mr. Coss over the vehicle and his head the pavement hard. Mr. Coss was rushed to BellevueHospital, but he was declared dead on arrival.  Although the police have surveillance video of the accident, the driver in the police van cannot be seen on the tape.

Mr. Coss’s family and students are devastated and many in the neighborhood he lived in are besides themselves. Only time will tell if Mr. Coss’s family decides to sue Officer Medrana in civil court for wrongful death and negligence and/or bring homicide-related charges against her in criminal court.

We all know the dangers of using our cell phones while driving and how distracting they can be. However, an officer of the law should know better. No one is above the law, and police officers have just as much a responsibility (if not more) as everyone else when it comes to upholding the very traffic laws they enforce.

Author Bio

Adam H. Rosenblum

Founding Attorney Of Rosenblum Law

Adam H. Rosenblum is an experienced and skilled traffic violations and criminal defense attorney. Mr. Rosenblum provides expert and aggressive representation to those facing points on their drivers’ licenses and the associated fines and surcharges.

Read Full Bio

No Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free Consultation

Call us now for a quick, free, and no obligation colustion with one of our attorneys.
888-883-5529

Featured Experts

Kent Ng

NYPD (Ret.)
Read More

Mike Gheller

NYPD Officer
Read More

Travis Hall

NY State Police
Read More

Related Articles

Learn more about traffic tickets and criminal matters in New York and New Jersey.

NYS Cell Phone Tickets Increase From 3 To 5 Points

On March 31 at a press conference in NYC, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced increased penalties for cell phone use...
Read More

NJ Increases Cell Phone Ticket Fines, Adds Points

Listen up, New Jersey drivers! As of July 1, 2014 cell phone tickets in NJ officially carry a $200 minimum...
Read More
July 28, 2014

Dash Cam Saves Brooklyn Driver From Unjustified Cell Phone Ticket

A Brooklyn driver who was simply rubbing his ear was pulled over by a New York police officer and ticketed...
Read More
September 17, 2014

We've Fought Over 50,000 Traffic Ticket Cases

Call us now for a quick, free, and no-obligation consultation.
888-883-5529
chevron-down Free Consult Call Now linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram