🚑 NYC TLC Driver Killed, After Being Hit On Gowanus Expressway
Manoj Thapa, who appears to have been a TLC driver, was killed on the Gowanus Expressway. Thapa was hit by another vehicle when he got out his vehicle to inspect damage after being rear-ended
According to reporting from the NY Daily News and NY Post, NYC TLC driver Manoj Thapa, 32, who recently relocated to Queens from New Jersey, was killed Saturday morning on the Gowanus Expressway. Although the reporting is that Mr. Thapa was an “Uber” driver, based on our research of NYC Open Data, it appears he was a commercially-licensed TLC driver.
TO BE CLEAR, the media has not confirmed this, although they allude to it by mentioning he worked for Uber in NYC.
According to the NYPD, Mr. Thapa was finishing up a shift while driving on the Gowanus Expressway near 56th St. in Sunset Park on Saturday when he was rear-ended at around 1:15 a.m.
According to reporting by the NY Post and NYPD, the incident unfolded as follows.
“…Thapa stopped his Toyota Camry behind a Nissan Sentra that had become disabled in the right lane, authorities said.
A third motorist, behind the wheel of a Toyota Venza SUV, then clipped Thapa’s Camry, an NYPD spokesman said.
The driver of the Venza then pulled over, got out of his SUV and then began surveying the damage with Thapa, who was also out of his vehicle, police said.
That’s when tragedy struck and a BMW slammed into Thapa, pinning him against his own car, police said.”
Mr. Thapa, originally from Nepal, was said to have worked 6 to 7 days per week to support his family and was soon to be married.
Finally, in case the Black Car Fund (BCF) wasn’t already contacted, we wanted to highlight the Black Car Fund’s Driver Death Benefit. According to the BCF, “if a Black Car Fund driver passes away while on the job, their loved ones are eligible for a $50,000 payment to help them recover from tragedy.” We do not know if Mr. Thapa was “on the job” at the time of the incident, but hope the BCF is at least contacted by the victim’s family, friends and/or acquaintances.
Our prayers are with Mr. Thapa’s family.
“He was like such a calm person. He doesn’t talk loud, and he only speaks what you need [to hear] and doesn’t keep talking extra…Everyone is just crying now.”
- Anisha Thapa, cousin of victim
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What a tragedy. If possible, never get out of your vehicle on a highway. The City has too many fast drivers that don’t have time to anticipate and negotiate cars stopped on the highway. Always try to go to the nearest exit on a side street.