HARTFORD, Conn. -- The taxi driver who died in an accident
in which former NBA player Manute Bol was seriously injured was
driving with a suspended license, according to the state Department
of Motor Vehicles.
Neville H. Robinson, a driver for Yellow Cab of Bloomfield, had
failed a test for alcohol or drugs, resulting in the suspension for
one month of his driver's license and license to carry passengers,
The Hartford Courant reported in editions prepared for Saturday.
Bol, 43, has been in Hartford Hospital since the accident on
June 30 and may soon be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital,
the newspaper reported. He was ejected from the car and fractured
his right wrist, left kneecap and two vertebrae.
The 7-foot-7-inch former University of Bridgeport star sustained
damage to his left wrist, facial lacerations and some internal
injuries.
"He's going to have a full recovery eventually, but it's going
to be a long way," said Edward Bona, Bol's cousin.
Robinson, 48, was driving Bol to his home in West Hartford from
Mohegan Sun, where Bol had watched a WNBA Connecticut Sun
basketball game, friends told The Courant. The accident occurred
shortly before 9 p.m. on Route 2 in Colchester when Robinson
apparently lost control of the car, hitting a guardrail and
eventually hitting a rock ledge.
Police have said the car was traveling at an "accelerated
speed." Bol has told friends and relatives that Robinson was
driving fast and he had asked him to slow down.
Little information is available on an incident in Windham in
April that led to the suspension of Robinson's licenses because the
court case has been sealed, The Courant reported. His licenses were
suspended May 22 for a "failed chemical alcohol test," according
to his driving history obtained from the DMV and reported by the
newspaper.
He was not eligible for restoration until Sept. 19.
Under Connecticut law, anyone who fails a chemical alcohol test
of their blood, breath or urine has his or her license suspended,
in addition to a possible criminal case.
If a person is accepted into an alcohol education program for
first-time offenders as a result of a charge of drunken driving,
the court records on the case are sealed. The charge is dismissed
if the person successfully completes the program.
State Trooper Anthony Gordon said the investigation into the
June 30 accident is continuing. He said police have requested a
toxicology report on Robinson from the state Medical Examiner's
Office, which will determine if alcohol was a factor.
Marco Henry, the owner of Yellow Cab, initially denied that he
knew of problems with Robinson's license. He later said Robinson's
name had appeared on a DMV list, but said the list arrived after
the accident, The Courant reported.
"As far as we know, when he had the accident, his license was
in good order," Henry said. "We had no reason to doubt
anything."
A spokesman for the DMV said the lists were not available
Friday.
Bol was a second-round draft pick of the Washington Bullets in
1985. He retired in 1995 after averaging 4.2 rebounds per game and
2.6 points during his career. He blocked more shots per minute than
anyone in league history. As a rookie he blocked 397 shots, the second highest single-season total in NBA history. In his 11-year career, Bol blocked 2086 shots, 10th best in league history.
Bol was born in Turalie, a remote village in the southern part
of Sudan. The region is the home of the Dinkas, the tallest people
in the world. For a time, he was the tallest man ever to play in
the NBA.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.