Collision sparks push for greater stop sign visibility

Father of driver asks city to trim tree branches at East End intersection

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Nearly a week after two cars collided at Monroe Boulevard and East Beech Street the night of Aug. 10, which resulted in an overturned vehicle but no reported injuries, according to the Long Beach Fire Department, the father of one of the drivers called on the City Council to address stop sign safety at the intersection.

Long Beach resident Jeff Kupferman said that his son, Michael, was in an SUV that flipped over when an out-of-town driver heading south on Monroe Boulevard ran the stop sign.

“[My son] had just left our house on Neptune beach, where we were watching the Olympics, and he left to head home,” he said at the Aug. 16 council meeting. “Five minutes after leaving, we got the call. My wife picked up the phone and I watched her face turn white. She had just been told, ‘Mom, I was in an accident and the car flipped, but I’m OK.’ As you might imagine, to us, things were not OK until we saw him.”


Long Beach police were called following the accident and notified the Fire Department, said Fire Commissioner Scott Kemins. One person refused medical aid and the others showed no signs of injury, he added.

Michael posted a photo of his flipped vehicle on Instagram following the collision, thankful to be alive.

“Blindsided by someone who ran a stop sign…a few spins and flips later I managed to crawl out of the window with literally one scratch,” he wrote. “So grateful to be alive and OK. Thank you so much to the big man upstairs and all of the others watching over me while I competed in automobile gymnastics last night.”

Kupferman said that although his son is OK, he is still “dealing with the physical and emotional aftermath,” and told the council that the stop sign at that intersection is hardly visible due to trees along the right curb, which are among the many that were replanted after Hurricane Sandy. He presented pictures to City Manager Jack Schnirman and council members that illustrated a southbound driver’s view of the sign, which is hindered by branches. Kupferman said that out-of-towners are not aware that there are stop signs at every corner.

“The FEMA trees that were planted are thankfully growing,” Kupferman said. “When they were planted, they were small and bare. This past week, I’ve been tuned in to each intersection I pass through and see many signs blocked or partially blocked by trees. I bring this to your attention tonight in the hope that it can be addressed, so that someone else does not go through this type of trauma.”

Councilwoman Eileen Goggin said that she would ask the Police Department to check locations where stop signs lack visibility. The city released in a statement that the tree initiative's project manager would be looking into it to make sure the project was done properly. 

“My son and our family are both blessed and lucky, someone else may not be,” Kupferman told the council. “Trimming trees and making traffic signs visible should be something that can be accomplished and agreed upon in our stronger, smarter and safer city.”