The California sister of an eccentric Greenwich Village woman, who was killed in a gruesome tractor-trailer accident last summer, is suing the truck company over her death, according to a new lawsuit.
“Scooter Lady” Jessica Dworkin, 58, was crossing West Houston Street and 6th Avenue on her dual-wheeled ride on Aug. 27 when she “became stuck in the rear passenger wheel and dragged more than 700 feet,” sister Melissa Dworkin alleges in the complaint.
Dworkin “experienced conscious pain and suffering…terror and fear of impending death,” her sister says in the filing.
The Manhattan Supreme Court suit names New York-based Liedtka Trucking, Brothers Leasing Company in New Jersey and Jersey driver Gregory Smith.
Smith remained at the scene of the accident and was not charged with any wrongdoing, but the lawsuit questions his safety record.
“Liedtka Trucking and Brothers Leasing negligently failed to inspect and review Smith’s driving record prior to hiring him,” court papers charge.
The company’s owner, Phil Liedtka, told the Post that Smith is so distraught from the incident that he’s taken a leave of absence.
“It was just a horrible, horrible tragedy, but it was not our fault,” Liedtka asserted. He defended his driver’s record. Smith “has been with us for eight years and has never, ever had an accident.”