Novak's Adventurous Day!

Novak hits pedestrian with car

Source: Novak's Victim Worse Than First Thought

from ABC 7 News - http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0708/537957.html

The pedestrian who was struck by prominent Washington columnist and commentator Robert Novak is in worse shape than first thought, a hospital source tells ABC 7 News.

The victim, a 66-year-old man, appeared somewhat incoherent, said the source who had seen the victim. The man appeared to have casts on his neck and back. The victim was X-rayed and a surgical team plans to evaluate him, the source said.

In an exclusive interview with ABC 7 News, Novak, 77, said felt "terrible" about striking a pedestrian Wednesday morning while on his way to work in downtown D.C.

Novak spoke to ABC 7 News as he emerged from a police car at the scene. Novak said he did not know he had struck anyone. Novak said he didn't know anything was wrong until a bicyclist rode ahead of him and blocked traffic. The bicyclist, attorney David Bono, informed Novak he had hit a pedestrian.

"I see something of an older gentleman in the crosswalk get hit. The black Corvette convertible take a right turn onto the K Street service road; the pedestrian rolls off to the left and the car speeds away," he said.

Bono dismissed Novak's assertion that he never say the struck pedestrian.

"There was a pedestrian splayed on his windshield -- I don't think there is anyway you can miss that," Bono said.

Bono also said that the pedestrian was in a crosswalk and had the right of way.

Bono said that the pedestrian, who was crossing the street on a "Walk" signal and was in the crosswalk, rolled off the windshield and that Novak then made a right into the service lane of K Street. "This car is speeding away. What's going through my mind is, you just can't hit a pedestrian and drive away," Bono said.

He said he chased Novak half a block down K Street, finally caught up with him and then put his bike in front of the car to block it and called 911. Traffic immediately backed up, horns blaring, until commuters behind Novak backed up so he could pull over.

Bono said that throughout, Novak "keeps trying to get away. He keeps trying to go." He said he vaguely recognized the longtime political reporter and columnist as a news personality but could not precisely place him.

Finally, Bono said, Novak put his head out the window of his car and motioned him over. Bono said he told him that you can't hit a pedestrian and just drive away. He quoted Novak as responding: "I didn't see him there."

A concierge at 1700 K Street said that she saw a bicyclist yelling and walked outside to see what the commotion was about.

"This guy hit somebody and he won't stop so I'm going to stay here until the police come," Aleta Petty quoted Bono as saying, as he stood in K Street, blocking traffic.

Speed Demon

I've hesitated to touch on this incident with Bob Novak running over a pedestrian and apparently speeding off as though nothing happened. He's a controversial figure and the case is so weird that it's sort of speaks for itself; blogging about something like that is like fishing in a stocked pond -- no sport in it.

But looking at the report of what happened, according to the bicyclist who eventually got Novak to stop, David Bono, Novak hit the guy, a 66 year old man walking in cross walk with a walk signal. He told The Politico "a black Corvette convertible with top closed plows into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed into the windshield."

And Bono didn't think it was credible that Novak didn't realize he'd hit the guy. "There was a pedestrian splayed on his windshield -- I don't think there is anyway you can miss that," Bono said.

Note to that the original report that the victim got off with just some bumps and bruises don't seem to be quite right. According to ABC's DC affiliate WJLA ...

Quote:

The pedestrian who was struck by prominent Washington columnist and commentator Robert Novak is in worse shape than first thought, a hospital source tells ABC 7 News.

The victim, a 66-year-old man, appeared somewhat incoherent, said the source who had seen the victim. The man appeared to have casts on his neck and back. The victim was X-rayed and a surgical team plans to evaluate him, the source said.

Now, Novak says he didn't realize he'd hit anyone. And if that's true it removes a great deal of the moral and potential criminal liability. But it puts in real question whether Novak should be driving a car. If you can be driving through the relatively compact streets of downtown Washington, hit a pedestrian so that he rolls up on to your windshield and then trundles off onto the ground and you don't notice, should you really be driving?

Think about that. For most of us I think having anything make contact with your car while you're in motion is very jarring, as it should be. That's certainly been my experience. And you don't notice when you plow into a guy and he rolls up on your windshield? I don't get that.

--Josh Marshall

In 2001, he cursed at a pedestrian on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 13th streets Northwest for allegedly jaywalking.

"'Learn to read the signs, [bodily orifice]!' Novak snapped before speeding away," according to an item in The Washington Post's Reliable Source column.

Novak explained to the paper: "He was crossing on the red light. I really hate jaywalkers. I despise them. Since I don't run the country, all I can do is yell at 'em. The other option is to run 'em over, but as a compassionate conservative, I would never do that."

Two years later, the same column reported that Novak had gone to a racing school in Florida.

"I've wanted to be a racecar driver all my life, and anyone who has watched me drive can tell you that," Novak said.