PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Pamela Manasseh, Cofounder of E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, on E-Bike Safety and Regulation
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138 sec
Pamela Manasseh, cofounder of the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, provides emotional testimony about her personal experience as a victim of an e-bike accident and advocates for the passage of legislation requiring registration of e-vehicles. She criticizes the lack of accountability for e-vehicle riders who cause accidents and expresses disappointment in city officials who left before hearing victims' stories.
- Manasseh suffered a traumatic brain injury and permanent paralysis on her right side after being hit by an e-vehicle while crossing the street legally.
- She supports Intro 606 (referred to as "Priscilla's Law"), which would require registration of all e-vehicles.
- The testimony highlights the long-term physical, emotional, and professional consequences of e-vehicle accidents on victims.
Pamela Manasseh
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council member Powers, for staying.
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Unfortunately, this is one of the happiest and saddest days of my existence with dealing with this.
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I'm coming off script completely.
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It's we have a Yiddish expression.
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It's called a shanda.
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And it's a shanda that no one has left here to hear our stories, which are the most important stories to hear, including Yordanis Rodriguez, who my husband and I had the displeasure of speaking to on air 2 years ago, and he said, oh, yeah.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Accountability.
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Sure.
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Sure.
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Sure.
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Okay.
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So moving right along, I wanna thank Bob Holden and the 31 council members who signed on to this very important e vehicle safety bill requiring the registering of all e vehicles, Priscilla's Law.
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My name is Pamela Manasseh.
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I'm cofounder of EFSA.
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In 2022, I was crossing the street legally when I was hit head on by a speeding e vehicle.
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My assailant came off the sidewalk and into the pedestrian crosswalk.
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He tried to flee.
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My husband was able to detain him.
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I lay on the hot burning pavement unconscious, my husband not knowing if I was dead or alive.
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The police came and we were taken away in an ambulance.
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We later found out that the perpetrator was simply allowed to walk away, seen by witnesses getting a coffee and croissant.
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I suffered a traumatic brain injury leaving me permanently paralyzed on my right side.
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There would be no walking away that day for me.
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I spent months in rehab and continuing a lifetime of physical therapy.
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Not a day goes by where I don't have to deal with my injuries every single day.
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My assailant, on the other hand, had no consequences and no accountability.
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Even the police report was inaccurately written up.
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The 20th precinct said there was nothing more they could do.
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While my assailant walked away unharmed and free from injury or consequence, I struggle living every day as a disabled, newly disabled person of 2 years.
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I'm unable to walk normally, my right arm is barely functional, I struggle to do everyday tasks, and I have lost my livelihood as a cellist.
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I have lost my career.
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I'm scared of being hit again, scared for my family and all New Yorkers as we all have near misses every day stepping out our front doors.
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Thank you.
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You're welcome, and thank you for listening.
