🚖 NYC TLC Driver Death Shouldn't Be Ignored By Other TLC Drivers
Kutin Gyimah's death, while chasing fare evading passengers, has many lessons for NYC TLC drivers
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Firstly, our condolences to NYC TLC licensee Kutin Gyimah’s wife, four young children, family members, friends and community.
52 year old NYC TLC driver Kutin Gyimah, a Ghanaian immigrant who drove a yellow cab, died when he hit his head on pavement after being struck by fare evading passenger(s). The incident happened near Beach 54th Street and Arverne Boulevard in the Rockaways area of Queens, around 6:30 Saturday morning. Gyimah leaves behind a wife and four young children, ages 3 to 8 years old.
The murder suspects are still reported to be at large.
Gyimah’s story has gotten local and national news attention, from CNN to Fox News. This is yet another senseless tragedy in NYC and another violent incident involving an NYC TLC driver. A New Yorker, a hard working immigrant, a person has died trying to make an honest living and provide for his family. To add to this already tragic story, the image of Mr. Gyimah’s grieving wife and four young children causes as much anger as it does feelings of compassion.
The good news, and with any tragedy like this you have to recognize the good, is a lot of people from a lot of different organizations came together to make sure Kutin didn’t die in vain, that his family will be looked after and that financial and human resources will be used to bring those who are responsible for his death to justice.
With a mindset of trying to help make sure this sort of tragedy doesn’t impact another TLC driver’s family, we thought it might be helpful to briefly discuss some lessons that can be learned from this incident.
Returning Home
Directing any criticism at a NYC TLC driver for chasing fare evaders is something that’s extremely hard to do. An honest worker, making a hard living, putting food on the table for his family, probably has a life perpetually filled with stresses. In a moment when someone steals something from you, almost everyone will perceive that as a big violation on multiple levels. In this case a group of people is stealing someone’s hard earned money, money meant to support a working class NYC family.
No one ever really knows how they would react in a situation that Kutin faced. It’s not too dissimilar from a shop clerk chasing/pinning down a thief, even if it’s over $40 worth of snacks and drinks. It’s the principle. Obviously in retrospect, chasing five people down the street for a taxi fare wasn’t the right decision, but we all can conceptually understand Kutin’s gut reaction.
The lesson here for most NYC TLC drivers is no matter how justified you are in taking an action to defend your earnings, you need to ensure you return home. Driving a taxi or TLC-plated vehicle in NYC is a tough job, filled with many risks.
I ran across this piece, published in the public forum of nyctaxinews.com, by Abe Mittleman, someone who (believably) drove a yellow cab in NYC for 42 years.
It’s a quick read, but worth noting.
“A Lesson To Be Learned
by Abe Mittleman
Kutin Gyimah learned the hard way. Unfortunately for him he is no longer alive to benefit from this lesson. I drove a NYC Taxi for 42 years. I learned in my first year, don't chase people that walk out on the fare payment.
It was day break. I had been working all night until the sun came up. I had a fare from Manhattan to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. When we reached the destination my passenger exited the taxi and walked into an apartment building. It was 1970, the fare was $10. According to the CPI Inflation Calculator that would be $78. In today's money https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
I was irate. I need this money. That was what I was thinking. But, I wasn't going to get it. No Way! I even called the police as I watched the windows of the building. I kept seeing one window that someone kept looking to see if I was still there. The policeman and myself went to the apartment of that window. A man opened the door. He was wearing a shoulder holster with a gun. He told the police officer that he had a license for this gun and he wasn't the person we were looking for.
I knew then, after this experience, that it doesn't pay to go after people that don't pay. There is likely no way you're getting the money. Of course, it's not a pleasant experience. Still, it doesn't happen to very often. It happened to me less than 20 times in 42 years I drove. Why take the risk?
I'll tell one more story: The year was 2010. It was sometime after midnight when I picked up 4 young women at a wild all night club on 27th street and 12th Ave. Many of you may know this place. I took them to Grand Concourse just south of Yankee Stadium. There was an all night snack stand there and many people hanging out. The girls opened the doors and walked away without paying.
My attitude was simple, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! And I did.
It's now 12 years later. I still eat every day and I have a roof over my head.
No need to say that I'm still alive. As the Late Great Alan Decker , a well known attorney in his day, he passed away in 2011, he said to me once, 'NEVER CHASE PEOPLE FOR MONEY". And let this horrible story of what happened to Kutin Gyimah be a lesson to all taxi drivers and anyone who has this dilemma to make the correct decision and STAY SAFE!”- Abe Mittleman, veteran NYC taxi driver
As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or by emailing us at info@automarketplace.com.
AutoMarketplace NYC covers the for-hire transportation industry and automotive news. Check out AutoMarketplace on YouTube ▶️
Just make more trash people ride and run
We all know who make this kind of stupid acts, many times we tried to ask for money in front specifically for long runs trips with kind of people not looks safe or specially young kids rides alone
Then they said No , it’s against TLC rules
The rules should be set to protect the drivers & the passengers as well not to be only on passengers side