Man charged with fatally striking "Gone Girl" actor Lisa Banes with electric scooter in NYC pleads guilty
The man charged with fatally striking "Gone Girl" actor Lisa Banes with an electric scooter last year pleaded guilty to manslaughter Wednesday and is expected to be sentenced to one to three years in prison. Brian Boyd, 27, will be sentenced Nov. 30 in the death of Banes, who was hit by the scooter Boyd was operating as she crossed a New York City street in June 2021.
Banes was hospitalized and died on July 14, 2021, at age 65. She had appeared in movies including "Gone Girl" in 2014 and "Cocktail" in 1988 and on TV shows including "Nashville," "Madam Secretary," "Masters of Sex" and "NCIS."
Boyd, who fled after crashing into Banes, was arrested weeks later. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting,
The sentence promised to Boyd was less than the three to nine years that prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office had sought.
"Brian Boyd drove recklessly with no regard for pedestrians, fatally striking a beloved actress and New Yorker before speeding off to avoid accountability," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "Lisa Banes will be remembered for her contributions to the rich fabric of New York City through her roles on screen and on Broadway. I offer her friends, family, and the many who loved her during her decades-long career my deepest condolences."
Boyd's attorney said she had no comment.
Transportation advocates fear fatalities will continue to climb as New Yorkers trade public transit post-pandemic for micro-mobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters, CBS New York reported. The city legalized both methods of transportation in 2020 and announced an e-scooter pilot program starting this summer in the Bronx.
Attorney Daniel Flanzig told the station the city's infrastructure is not equipped to handle the volume.
"There really was no oversight when these programs were launched and now what we're doing is trying to play catch-up," Flanzig said.