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Novak Witness: “There was a Pedestrain Splayed on his Windshield” |
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Update: Our thoughts are with the victim, who is apparently in worse shape than we thought.
They would put me in jail for this. No questions asked.
Transcript and more below the fold.
Transcript:
Male Reporter: Excuse me Mr. Novak
Female Reporter: Can you tell us what happened this morning?
Robert Novak: I don’t really know
FR: Did you hit a pedestrian?
RN: That’s what they said, yes. I didn’t, I didn’t know I hit him.
FR: And what happened? Did you even see anything?
RN: No I didn’t see anything.
FR: Was it a male or a female pedestrian?
RN: I don’t know.
FR: Where were you heading to?
RN: I was going to work.
FR: And about what time was this?
RN: It was about 10 o clock.
FR: So you say you were driving down K street and you didn’t even (hear?) see someone?
MR: Where did it happen sir?
RN: Pardon? I just answered the question.
FR: Are you feeling OK today?
RN: Not right now. (chuckles)
MR: Are you OK sir?
RN: No well you mean, what do you mean?
MR: Physically.
RN: Yes, I’m physically alright.
MR: OK, and you’re a little emotionally shaken up?
RN: Yes, I am.
MR: And you were on your way to work?
RN: Where is K street, this is K street, yes.
FR: Did you try to leave the scene?
RN: I didn’t know I hit anybody.
FR: And so you just kept driving?
RN: Yes, and a bicycle rider stopped me and uh and uh said I hit someone.
FR: What were you cited for?
RN: Fail-Failure to yield to right of way (somewhat inaudible).
MR: You weren’t cited with leaving the scene though?
RN: No.
MR: OK
FR: How do you feel about this?
RN: I feel terrible.
WJLA 7 DC has an additional video, in which witness Attorney David Bono says:
I see something of an older gentleman uh, in the crosswalk get hit. The black corvette convertible takes a right turn onto the K street service road. The pedestrian rolls to the left and the car speeds away.There was a pedestrian splayed on his windshield. I don’t think there is any way you could miss that.
Novak was in the police car for nearly an hour. When asked if he knew how the pedestrian was doing, Novak replied, “He’s not dead, that’s the main thing.”
Late Update: CNN has even more video (skip to 1:25), in which the local reporters run out of questions for a clearly confused Bob Novak.
Late Update 2: Jon Stewart couldn’t resist.
Here are the best comments I’ve seen on this clusterfuck.
Our sympathies go out to the victim of Novak’s action. Once again Novak has demonstrated his callous disregard for the rights of others, as well as his chronic inability to accept responsibility for his actions.We have long argued that responsible adults should take Novak’s typewriter away. The time has arrived for them to also take away the keys to his Corvette.
The penalties for this stuff ought to be much stiffer. Morally speaking, what Novak was doing here is no better than walking down a crowded street with his handgun, firing off .22 rounds at random. “He’s not dead, that’s the main thing,” says Novak but that’s just a coincidence.I hate, incidentally, that coverage of this is using the euphemism that Novak is known as an “aggressive” driver. He’s a criminal. Cars are large, heavy, fast-moving objects that share space with delicate flesh-and-blood human beings — piloting them in an illegal manner is serious wrongdoing.
Why wasn’t Novak given a field sobriety test? This is very weird. You hit someone, leave the scene and then the police aren’t suspicious?
Did anyone else notice the clear recorded statement by Novak that convicts himself?
From the CNN clip after 1:25 it is clear he knew he hit someone because in answer to the reporter’s question “were you turning right” he says he was not turning right but was going straight on k street.
So he admitted he was heading straight on K street and not going to turn right.
But after he hit the guy he DID turn right.
So that means he turned right for a REASON that occurred AFTER he hit the guy. What would that reason perhaps be —- to maybe make a run for it?
Or maybe he decided at that random moment that he wanted to grab a drink somewhere or buy a book. Maybe the dull thud of the guy as he splayed on the windshield (according to the witness that blocked Novak from continuing to leave the scene by literally blocking his car with his bike - pretty brave after you have just seen the car hit someone else and move on)
subconsciously triggered a thought in Novak’s head to do something besides make a run for it and THAT was the reason he stopped “going Straight” and made a right turn.
Maybe.
Or maybe he was just doing a felony hit and run after injuring a guy.
Doesn’t matter of course because congress will pass a bill to bail him out. surprised they haven’t already passed one to pay for his $50 fine- don’t worry it will also provide mortgage relief to someone so it will be balanced.
And Bush will “Scooter Commute” any sentence he gets.
He said the bike rider didnt say anything to him.
Then later he said the bike rider told him he hit somebody