Car was going 100 mph before sparking deadly Tribeca crash
A Maryland driver was doing 100 mph when he sparked a six-car crash in Tribeca, killing one woman, prosecutors said Wednesday in court.
Sherman Harrison, 37, had his pet Rottweiler in tow as he zipped north in his 2012 Audi A6 on West Street, flying through at least three red traffic lights at about 7:20 a.m. last Saturday.
Assistant DA Courtney Groves said his car slammed into a Honda CRV near Laight Street, causing it to flip over and burst into flames, killing driver Amy Philipson, 57, who was a customer service rep for FedEx.
The posted speed limit is 35 mph.
“The defendant’s inexplicable recklessness resulted in an entirely avoidable, tragic death to a woman who was on her way to work,” Groves said at Harrison’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court, arguing that he be held without bail.
Harrison, who is still in Bellevue Hospital, appeared via a video monitor, wearing blue scrubs, with his right wrist cuffed to his wheelchair.
After the gruesome wreck, Harrison, whose forehead and hands were bleeding, fled east on Hubert Street with his Rottweiler, according to court papers and police.
Meanwhile, “other pedestrians in the vicinity remained stationary looking in the direction of the burning vehicle,” the complaint states.
Cops found a .40-caliber Glock magazine loaded with 17 rounds inside Harrison’s car.
Defense lawyer Adam Miller said this was Harrison’s first brush with the law, and that when he left the scene, he was in “tremendous shock after such a horrendous crash.”
Harrison has an undergraduate business degree from the University of Maryland and works for a consulting firm, whose clients include the federal government, Miller said, arguing for $20,000 bail.
As the attorney spoke, Harrison, who appeared confused, repeatedly interrupted him and tried to address the judge directly.
Miller said he had concerns about his client’s mental health. The judge ordered Harrison held without bail.
Harrison is charged with one count each of second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an incident and possession of ammunition. He’s due back in court Jan. 4.
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