Two Central High School students struck by cars in two months

A male student from Valley Stream Central High School was struck by a car at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and West Merrick Road on the morning of Oct. 25, according to the Nassau County Police Department and school officials — the same site of a crash that killed 12-year-old Zachary Ranftle in December 2014.

Police said the student suffered non-life threatening injuries and a full recovery was expected. According to the accident report, the 2000 Toyota sedan struck the student while traveling westbound on West Merrick Road and didn’t stop.

Discussions about road safety in Valley Stream began again last month when a female CHS student was struck by a car just west of Franklin Avenue, at the intersection of West Merrick Road and Fletcher Avenue on Sept. 13.

According to the accident report, the driver of a 2013 Chevrolet SUV was making a left onto Fletcher Avenue, and struck the student who was crossing about 10-feet north of the crosswalk. The driver told police that visibility was poor because of the sun, and that the student was “looking at her phone.” That student was taken to a nearby hospital with a leg injury immediately after the crash. Carolyn Torres, a Board of Education trustee in District 30, told the Herald last month that her daughter knew the female victim, and that she was “doing well.”

Superintendent Bill Heidenreich said the district is working closely with James Bartscherer, commanding officer of NCPD’s 5th Precinct, to enhance the safety of pedestrians at the intersection.

“We’ve been working with the 5th precinct on stepping up patrols in the area,” Heidenreich said. “They will conduct a study to see if more crossing guards are needed at that intersection.”