ABC News national correspondent Brian Ross inadvertently involved himself in a local hot-button issue when he hit a pedestrian with his car while leaving work on Sunday evening, breaking the man’s arm. With Mayor Bill de Blasio making pedestrian safety a priority, and police already involved in a controversial crackdown on jaywalking, Ross seems to have found the crux of the story with the grill of his BMW. Ross had the right-of-way for a left turn from 67th Street onto Columbus Avenue when Roman Dati, a 52-year-old former taxi driver from Queens, walked in front of the car, police told the New York Post.
“I see him coming at me, 10 to 15 mph, and I think he will stop, but he keeps continues,” Dati told the paper later. “I drove a cab in New York City for years, and I can tell you, he realized I was there only after he hit me.” The car hit Dati’s legs, and ABC spokesman Jeffrey Schneider said Dati “put his hand onto Brian’s hood and pushed himself backwards,” breaking his arm with the fall. Ross brought Dati into the ABC lobby and called an ambulance. As paramedics were getting ready to transport Dati, Ross apologized to him and offered his hand for a shake. But Dati was having none of it. “At first, I was in shock and grateful to be alive, but by the time he apologized, I was mad, I was upset, and I wanted to see my wife.”
