Crash Sends 14 Year Old to Hospital in Critical Condition

Reporting today from the New Haven Independent about a very severe crash on a section of Quinnipiac Avenue notorious for crashes and speeding, but scheduled to be rebuilt over the next year using Federal stimulus dollars. An excerpt:

But neighbors also said that the intersection has been unsafe for years, with unpainted crosswalks, a dim light, and unenforced speed limits. This is the most recent of a number of bike- and pedestrian-related accidents in the city.

The three girls who had been biking were “sobbing” together on the corner near Stahl’s house, she said. When she went over to talk to them, she realized that they were standing on the spraypaint memorial for Mike Padua, the boy who had died in 2005.

While Tuesday’s accident seems to have been the boy’s fault, Stahl indicated that the fact that it is the second accident at the corner suggests a need for action. “If it happens once, shame on them. If it happens twice, shame on us,” Stahl said.

She suggested that a speed bump near the bottom of Clifton Street might serve as a deterrent for daredevil youth. Stahl has other ideas about how the intersection could be improved also. She and Rose said that they have contacted the city repeatedly to try to have crosswalks repainted. “They haven’t been repainted in ten years.”