Abortion doc seriously hurt in crash outside Saks

Abortion doc seriously hurt in crash outside Saks

A 90-year-old doctor who helped pioneer abortion services in the city was in critical condition Wednesday after he was hit by an SUV that jumped a curb outside of Saks Fifth Avenue a day earlier.

Dr. Mansoor Day’s regular eight-mile morning walk brought him along a sidewalk outside of the iconic Fifth Ave. store at about 11 a.m. Tuesday â€" precisely the same time a Ford Escape shot off the roadway after cutting off a delivery van.

“I’m sure he didn’t even see it coming. He wasn’t even near the curb,” said the doc’s daughter, Doris Day, 50.

The nonagenarian was sedated at Bellevue Hospital Center Wednesday. He suffered a broken neck, broken hip, and two broken legs, his daughter said. Despite his terrible injuries, she was hopeful he would pull through.

“If he can recover from this he’ll be, God willing, fully functioning,” she said. “For somebody who got hit as bad as he was and as old as he is, he’s doing remarkably well.”

The driver of the SUV, Richard Moussi, needed a French interpreter during his arraignment Wednesday. He was charged with possessing a fraudulent insurance card. His bail was set at $ 3,500 bond. His legal aide, Kelly Lyons, said the vehicle was borrowed and the insurance came with it.

It was not immediately clear if he posted bond.

Dr. Day and two colleagues founded VIP Medical Associates in 1972. The practice was the first in New York State to provide abortions to women with low income following the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision the following year.

“He has a strong, intrinsic sense of right and wrong,” Day’s granddaughter Sabrina Ghalili, 21, said of the career path the doctor chose.

“When he feels something is right in his heart, he’s going to pursue it.”

Even in his advanced age, Day remained well versed in the latest advances in the medical field, and occasionally gave lectures.

“He loves reading about new technology. He still reads his medical journals every day. He’s still at the forefront of medicine,” Ghalili said.

He passed his love of caring for others onto his daughter, Doris, who is a dermatologist on the upper East Side.

“He really taught me to take care of the whole person and practice the art of medicine,” Doris said.

A day after the crash, his family remained astonished at Day’s misfortune. They said it was especially ironic that he was struck on a sidewalk because he was maddeningly cautious. Day typically wouldn’t cross a clear intersection if the “Do Not Walk” sign had just begun to flash, his daughter said.

“He’ll wait for the next light before he crosses!” she said. “Of all people to get hit by a car, it’s just bizarre.”