11-year-old brother of New York girl killed at intersection demands new traffic light

The older brother of a 7-year-old Queens girl who was killed by an SUV last month at Astoria Junction is demanding the city install a traffic light at the crosswalk where his sister died.

In a heartbreaking change.org petition by 11-year-old Tsering Tashi Takgye, he said the February 17 crash that killed his sister Dolma Nadhum at Newtown Road and 45th Street happened “right in front of my eyes.” And it left his family devastated just before the typically joyous Tibetan New Year.

“This could have been avoided if there had been a red light,” Takgye told The Post after being on duty Thursday near PS85Q in Astoria, where his sister went to school.

“I’m trying to get people to sign my petition so we can turn on the red light and prevent more lives from being lost.”

Takge’s petition, which garnered more than 26,000 signatures on Sunday, says the city should replace stop signs with lights at three Newtown Road intersections to protect people heading to the Astoria Heights playground, which it called “my sister’s favorite place in the world”.

The family campaign is gaining momentum.

During the vigil, officials and elected leaders said they were supporting a mission to repair an intersection where a little girl, described by one teacher as a “natural leader,” died after being run over by a 46-year-old woman who police said was running . STOP sign.

State Senator Michael Janaris, a Democrat from the 12th district who is also deputy leader of the Senate, vowed to “make sure we fix Newtown Road where it happened and honor her father’s request that there be traffic lights.”

Kenneth Gorman, Deputy Inspector of the NYPD’s 114th Precinct, told the crowd that “we will do our best to make sure this never happens again in our area.”

According to the city’s Department of Transportation website, residents can request new traffic lights or pedestrian signals by submitting a message through its website or by sending a letter to the department.

They promise to respond within four months.

Tsering Vangu, Dolma’s grieving father, said he requested light from DOT after his daughter’s death, but has yet to receive a response.

“I can’t see anything – no updates,” he told The Post, clutching a set of rosaries. “I don’t understand why they don’t do anything there … I don’t want my parents to suffer from what I’m going through.”

Police rushed Dolma to Elmhurst Hospital after she was hit by a woman driving a Ford Explorer around 6:00 pm on February 17.

PS 85 second grader in Astoria was returning from a playground with her mother when she was hit.

The driver has not been charged.

The DOT reported last week that the woman had driven a stop sign and didn’t have the proper license – she had a learner’s license, but there were no adults with a license in the car, as was supposed.

A legal amount of alcohol was found in her system after the accident, according to the department.

In the petition, Dolma’s brother asks for lights to be turned on at three intersections: the intersection of Newtown Road with 44th, 45th and 46th streets.

Collectively, they have witnessed their share of accidents over the past six years, according to NYC Crash Mapper, a website that collects crash data.

According to statistics, since February 2018, a total of 11 accidents have occurred in which 12 cyclists, pedestrians and motorists have been injured. In addition, one person, Dolma, died on this stretch of Newtown Road.

Last week, the DOT said it had upgraded the crossing’s markings and was looking into “daylighting” — or improving visibility by banning cars from parking next to the crosswalk, among other things.

Department officials have not yet decided whether to install lights at the Newtown intersection.

According to the department, five injuries were recorded at this particular location from 2018 until the fatal accident.

But DOT’s words were likely cold comfort to neighbors, who told The Post they had already complained about what they described as a dangerous intersection.

“It’s upsetting,” said a neighbor who identified himself as Daniel and saw the aftermath of the accident. “I must have made four calls to 311 about speed bumps and traffic lights.”

Gladys Garcia, another neighbor, told The Post that drivers often pass stop signs in the area.

“They just drive through because it’s the main street leading to the highway,” Garcia said. “It is very sad, heartbreaking. I sympathize with the family. This is a great tragedy, especially for a 7-year-old child who was just starting life.”

On Thursday evening, about 100 people held electric candles during a vigil outside Dolma Primary School, sharing memories of the child.

Laura Meletiadis, Dolma’s second grade teacher, recalled the girl always happy, always smiling.

“Dolma’s death is a tragedy, especially since Dolma was the most alive person I knew,” she said, her voice breaking as the children in the crowd wept in grief. “Everyone loved Dolma, staff and students alike. She loved her friends, and there were a lot of them not only in my class, but throughout the school.”

Meletiadis also said that Dolma loves her family and her Tibetan heritage, which she often spoke about.

“She taught me a lot,” the teacher said with tears in her eyes.

Tsering Vangu, Dolma’s father, said his daughter loves school, loves to talk and always thinks of others first.

She once convinced him to order at a pizzeria that had recently suffered a devastating fire, even if it meant she would miss out on her favorite fast food place.

“She told me, ‘Dad, I love McDonald’s, but please buy at Retro Pizza – they need our help, they’re in trouble,'” he told The Post. “She was 7 years old, but she was very mature.”

One of Dolma’s relatives had previously approached DOT with a request to repair the crossing because “this was not the first time someone had been hurt there.”

“I was walking home when people were rushing past me,” the relative said last month. “I try to avoid this place.”

Meanwhile, Tsering Wangu said that his family was left without a rudder after the death of his daughter.

“Everyone loved her,” Vangu said. “I have no words. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Additional report by Tina Moore