Many New Yorkers take it for granted, believing that if they are ever hit by a car as they cross a busy street, the police will take their time to launch an investigation into the accident, testing the driver for alcohol, measuring skid marks on the street, and coming up with a full report. But, that isn’t always the case, and one man is now taking his story public to bring people’s attention to what he believes are the shortcomings of the handling of such pedestrian accidents.

Jacob Stevens, a New Yorker, watched as his wife was hit and killed by a driver early on a July morning last year. He doesn’t remember seeing the accident, and is grateful for that, but he remembers the sound. Stevens believes the police didn’t do enough at the time of the accident because his wife was not dead, according to the NY Times.

The police unit Stevens is angry with is actually a division of the New York Highway Patrol; it’s called the Accident Investigations Squad, or AIS. The AIS team is made up of 19 detectives and 4 supervisors who respond to the most serious of accidents. Their directive is to only respond when there is a fatality or if death is likely. Continue reading →