Parents of New York City bike path victim take step toward lawsuit
NEW YORK -- The parents of a New Jersey man killed in a truck attack on a New York City bike path have filed a notice that they intend to sue the city and others in connection to his death.
32-year-old Darren Drake was among the eight people killed in October when a man drove a rental truck down a bike path in Manhattan.
On Tuesday, his parents filed a notice of claim, the first step before a lawsuit can be filed. They say the vehicle should not have been able to get onto the bike path.
29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, of Paterson, New Jersey, has been charged with providing material support to the Islamic State group, along with eight counts of murder and 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
Drake, a project manager for Moody's Investors Service at the World Trade Center, was out for a bike ride between meetings when the truck hit and killed him.
His father, James Drake, says that he drove Darren every day to the train terminal in suburban Hoboken so he could commute to his job in the city.
Drake's father described him as the perfect son.
Drake earned a bachelor's degree in political science at Rutgers University in 2007 and a master's degree in business administration in 2011 from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He was working toward a second master's degree, at Stevens Institute of Technology.
He previously served as president of the New Milford school board.
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