Bob Simon’s widow, Francoise Anne-Marie Simon, has sued two car companies and the driver responsible for the fatal crash that killed her husband in February on New York City’s West Side Highway.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court and reported on by the New York Post, says Simon “suffered conscious pain [and] fear of impending death.”
It also alleges that the limousine driver, Reshad Abdul Fedahi, shouldn’t have been driving.
Fedahi, who lives in a homeless shelter, had a limp arm, two prior speeding convictions and nine license revocations on his resume. Skyline Credit Ride and its contractor, Travez Transportation, fired him previously and could have prevented Simon’s death if it hadn’t re-hired the reckless driver, the lawsuit states.
Simon’s widow is suing both companies along with the driver for punitive damages, hoping to prevent car companies from hiring bad drivers.
Simon spent 47 years at CBS News, reporting around the globe for “60 Minutes.”
“I think it really does have an impact on ’60 Minutes,’ because you can fill his job, but you can’t replace Bob Simon,” the newsmagazine’s executive producer Jeff Fager said in February.