[UPDATE BELOW] Just over a year ago, 3-year-old Allison Liao was killed by an SUV driver while crossing a street with her grandmother in Flushing, Queens. Liao was holding her grandmothers hand, the two were in the crosswalk and had the right of way. But that driver, Ahmad Abu-Zayedeha, was not criminally charged, merely issued summonses for failing to exercise due care and failing to yield to a pedestrian. And now the Department of Motor Vehicles has voided those traffic tickets.

Allison's devastated father, Hsi-Pei Liao, shared the news on his Facebook page and Twitter account yesterday, and his attorney, Steve Vaccaro, confirmed to us that the tickets have been dropped. "The family is very angry that this driver has the luxury of being able to look in the mirror and tell himself the false tabloid version of how this crash happened," Vaccaro said. "This is absolutely shocking."

Initial tabloid reports suggested that at around 5:30 p.m. on October 6th, 2013, Allison was crossing Main Street in Flushing with her grandmother when she broke free and ran unaccompanied into the path of Abu-Zayedeha's vehicle. But a graphic video obtained by the Liaos' attorney shows Allison and her grandmother crossing hand-in-hand with the light when Abu-Zayedeha makes a left-hand turn, first striking the grandmother before running over Allison's body with his front wheel, and head with his rear wheel. Allison died at New York Hospital Queens. You can see the collision in the embedded video below, starting at 1:55:

"Allie was spending the day with her grandmother, and they walked to a market two-and-a-half blocks from grandmother's house to buy a watermelon, because Allie wanted a watermelon," Vaccaro said. "The video shows them walking the last block of Allie's life, hand-in-hand with the grandmother while the grandmother held the watermelon bag. They make it half way across Main Street when the driver makes a left turn right into them. He literally sucks Allie out of her grandmother's hand, knocking the grandmother to ground."

Allie's grandmother was not seriously injured, but Vaccaro says she has not recovered from that day. "The grandmother is absolutely devastated and traumatized. She's disabled from leaving her home, and taking all kinds of medications to be able to sleep and function minimally. She blames herself terribly for this, which was in no way her fault but is totally understandable given circumstances."

At the hearing yesterday, Abu-Zayedeha testified under oath that Allison had run into the path of his car. "The idea that this driver can adopt the media version because it makes him feel better, but doesn't have the balls to look at this video is outrageous," Vaccaro said.

The tickets were thrown out by an administrative law judge, even though police officers from the Collision Investigation Squad who collected the surveillance video and issued the summonses—which carry fines of up to $150 each, according to the DMV—argued in support of them. Families are not invited to these hearings and are not given access to them.

"The thought that the tabloid media version, which is demonstrably false, would be in essence confirmed by this outrageous decision by an administrative law judge at the DMV is almost too much to bear for the Liaos," Vaccaro said. Abu-Zayedeha, who had been drinking before the collision but was within the legal-drinking limit, said in his sworn testimony that he had been driving a block-and-half to pick up his wife and his toddler son from dinner before striking Allison and her grandmother. "He said it was inconvenient to use stroller to transport his two-year-old son a block and half, so a three year old was killed," Vaccaro said.

.@NYSDMV voided both traffic tickets issued to the driver who killed Allison Liao https://t.co/VlcaknJqdt #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/nQDpuIwsIp — Keegan Stephan (@KeeganNYC) November 7, 2014

Advocacy group Transportation Alternatives is calling for the removal of DMV Commissioner Barbara Fiala. "This is an outrageous injustice to the family of Allison Liao, and to all New Yorkers," president Paul Steely White said in a statement today. "The two summonses were already a mere slap on the wrist for the driver who failed to yield and killed Allison Liao when she was in the crosswalk with the light, hand-in-hand with her grandmother. Now the State Department of Motor Vehicles has decided the deadly driver who muscled his way through that crosswalk doesn't even deserve such a paltry sanction."

Earlier this year, City Council Member Mark Weprin watched the video showing Allison's last moments. "It was so graphic,” he told reporters, according to Streetsblog. “It could happen to anyone. Some driver not paying attention can just snuff out a life just like that.” Weprin, who advocated for Mayor de Blasio's Vision Zero initiative, has not yet responded to our request for comment.

The Liaos are currently pursuing a civil claim against the driver, and they've asked the DMV to hold a hearing on his license. No criminal action has been taken against him. The DMV has not responded to request for comment.

Update 1:04 p.m.: The DMV has issued the following statement: