Novak Catches Undeserved Break

By TChris, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 05:22:23 PM EST
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The victim of Bob Novak's hit-and-run, Don Clifford Liljenquist, has this charitable reaction:

"Bob Novak is the one that hit me? Well, everybody knows who Bob Novak is! He's a famous journalist! . . . I was struck by Bob Novak? . . . Well, I think that makes it a great story!"

Yes it does. More about Liljenquist:

[T]he victim of syndicated columnist Robert Novak's hit-and-run pedestrian scuffle is not, as earlier reported by us and everyone else, 66 years old -- he's 86 years old. And homeless. And forgiving. And kind of tickled at all the attention.

Liljenquist thinks it's possible that Novak didn't see him, given that Novak wasn't paying attention. It would be difficult to charge Novak with hit-and-run if that's the testimony Liljenquist would give. Novak caught a break by colliding with a nice guy. He's likely to skate with only the "failure to yield" ticket he was given at the scene.

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Novak Catches Undeserved Break | 29 comments (29 topical)

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And if Novak had a tenth of a heart... (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by Dadler on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 05:34:36 PM EST

...he'd flip this guy some helpful cash. But I think we'll sooner see him giving cash to the Obama campaign.

ummm, I thought you were supposed to (5.00 / 2) (#2)
by nycstray on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 05:46:30 PM EST

pay attention while driving?! You mean when I get my license and drive across country it's ok to hit people if I'm not paying attention?! wow, this could be more fun than I thought! :D

Don't remind me. (none / 0) (#9)
by Fabian on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 07:43:30 PM EST

As a cyclist, all I need is drivers who don't take into account the various people and vehicles sharing the road legally with them.

Driving in Amish country, in early morning, in the fog was nerve wracking. I spend a lot of time peering into the foggy murk, looking for the reflective sign on the back of an Amish buggy to appear. That taught me a lot about relative speeds, relative visibility the meaning of assured clear distance.


: I STILL remember the drivers training (5.00 / 2) (#10)
by nycstray on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 07:59:23 PM EST

rule from when I took it 30yrs ago. Watch out for dogs, doors and dummies. The 3 D's. When I walk my dog, I have the same rule ;)
I won't ride a bike here. Back when the 'hood was less populated, they drove like fools. Now that it's more populated, a little slower fools with the macho driver always throwing risk into the mix. Funny thing is, we now have groups of bikers that are worse than the car drivers. They think they own the road and totally disregard anything resembling safe biking. And the skateboard crews tend to hang with them also. If we didn't have so many road warriors, I would love to bike around with my dog (properly secured!), but I won't risk it. I will say though, we do have a lot of responsible bikers and the streets with the subways on them are lined with bikes. They actually widened the sidewalks and put in more bike racks. I might teach the dog to cart in the fall. That we can do safely.

Who is picking up the tab for his (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by inclusiveheart on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 06:02:08 PM EST

hospital bill? Us? Probably.

Poor old guy. And I'm not thinking of Novak.

: I'm betting that there is an insurance company... (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by dianem on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 10:05:01 PM EST

...representative in the wings somewhere. Let's just hope that they didn't get to him before the first lawyer.

Isn't it a Crime (5.00 / 3) (#5)
by BackFromOhio on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 06:11:43 PM EST

to leave the scene of an accident?
Isn't there a competent third party witness.
And isn't it possible that the victim needs a lawyer before waiving his rights?

: My best answers (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by TChris on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 06:17:52 PM EST

1. Yes, but only if the driver knew there was an accident. 2. Yes, and a prosecution could be based on his testimony, but if the victim is saying "he might not have seen me" it becomes a problematic prosecution. 3. The victim hasn't waived anything. He's just telling it like he sees it.

God (5.00 / 2) (#7)
by Steve M on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 07:02:02 PM EST

An 86 year old homeless guy. If Novak had a soul...

where is (none / 0) (#11)
by aquarian on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 08:13:51 PM EST

the ghost of Christmas present when you need him.....


: Maybe the victim is he. (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by inclusiveheart on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 09:40:36 PM EST

He seems awfully jolly and nice.
Again - to be clear - the "he" to which I refer is not Novak.

In his defense... (none / 0) (#19)
by dianem on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 10:05:44 PM EST

..I don't think anybody thinks that Novak actually aimed for this guy. Do they?


There is no God (none / 0) (#22)
by oldpro on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 12:40:11 AM EST

if Novak walks on this one.

Proof positive.


Splayed across the windshield. (5.00 / 0) (#8)
by pie on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 07:29:25 PM EST

Yet Novak didn't see him.

I see. Or don't see, actually.

Isn't it the responsibility of the driver to control his automobile and not the responsibility of the pedestrian to avoid being hit?

I'm sure the old guy will be apologizing any day now.

Very lucky.... (5.00 / 1) (#25)
by kdog on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 08:16:21 AM EST

if he had hit one of his professional peers, he'd be getting sued up the wazoo.

He hit the only honest man in Washington...what are the odds?

I don't know (5.00 / 1) (#26)
by Carolyn in Baltimore on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 09:26:11 AM EST

anyone near 86 who moves fast - so he wasn't darting across the road and if he was in the intersection there would have been plenty of time to see him before he was on the windshield.

The cops also did the courtesy of driving Novak back to his car as seen clearly in the video.

Smells like rotting fish.

Black Corvette (none / 0) (#4)
by NYMARJ on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 06:04:20 PM EST

Someone I know is moving to Washington soon - have warned her about crossing or riding her bike near a black Corvette convertible.

What's the basis for saying (none / 0) (#12)
by Green26 on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 08:46:21 PM EST

this break was "undeserved"?

: Look at it this way (none / 0) (#16)
by Steve M on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 09:44:46 PM EST

Do you feel Cheney deserved an apology from that guy he shot in the face?

There is a very competent witness (none / 0) (#13)
by Peter G on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 09:31:39 PM EST

My friend David Bono, a bicycle-commuting lawyer at a DC firm, is the guy who saw the accident, followed Novak as he drove off, turned his bike in front of the 'Vette when it stopped at a light, and wouldn't move until he had called 911 and waited for the police to arrive. For the a driver who has just had a pedestrian on the hood of his car to say "I didn't see him, and I didn't realize I hit anyone" is not a defense; it's a confession to "failing to keep a look out" and "failing to yield right of way," as well as "leaving the scene of an accident," if you ask me.

: Your friend is a good guy. (none / 0) (#15)
by inclusiveheart on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 09:43:08 PM EST

Tell him thanks for being a good citizen from me.

: Thanks Peter. (none / 0) (#21)
by TChris on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 11:11:11 PM EST

Give your friend a pat on the back for me. He is a wonderful human being.

I agree the "failing to yield" is a no-brainer but that's usually a traffic violation that doesn't have a serious consequence, compared to leaving the scene or hit and run. I'm not holding my breath that a prosecutor is going after Novak for anything serious.

All Sounds Fishy To Me (none / 0) (#17)
by squeaky on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 09:53:48 PM EST

I would not be surprised if the incident was sanitized in the last two days. Money may have changed hands. Novak is a pro at deceit.

I don't think anyone benefited from money (none / 0) (#24)
by Jen M on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 08:03:55 AM EST

I think the special treatment was free, no charge.

They didn't want the circus.


Hmmmm... (none / 0) (#27)
by squeaky on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 10:36:22 AM EST

I dunno, smells bad to me, like money and pressure. Anyone seen a picture of Don Clifford Liljenquist yet?


: When It Comes To Novak (none / 0) (#30)
by squeaky on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 04:54:43 PM EST

I assume dirty business, and deception. He seems pretty ruthless to me. The story just does not add up.

If it's true the pedestrian was on the hood of the (none / 0) (#20)
by Green26 on Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 10:07:09 PM EST

vette, then I would agree it appears Novak may be catching a break.

He's probably lucky (none / 0) (#23)
by oldpro on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 12:51:22 AM EST

Novak isn't suing HIM for scratching the paint on his car's hood.


: No kidding (none / 0) (#28)
by txpublicdefender on Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 01:05:11 PM EST

Not to mention the emotional distress it caused him to know he hit someone! Poor Bobby!
He should be charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injury (or whatever the DC equivalent is), and they can plead it down to leaving the scene without injury with Novak agreeing to pay full restitution.
They also should seriously look at taking away his license. If you can hit a pedestrian and not even notice it, then you are a serious danger to others on the road.