Tragedy in West Hempstead fatal crash

Another fatal crash in West Hempstead.

And again, the community is in mourning.

On Aug. 7, an alleged drunk driver crashed into a parked car on Hempstead Turnpike near Westminster Road at 2:22 a.m., according to Nassau County police. Six-year-old Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez of West Hempstead was killed. Six people were taken to local hospitals. Police later announced the arrest of 18-year-old Jorge Bonilla Gutierrez of Freeport, who was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, four counts of assault, and driving while intoxicated

Police said Bonilla Gutierrez crashed a 2005 Nissan SUV while “traveling at a high rate of speed” on Hempstead Turnpike near Westminster Road into a parked 2009 Toyota Corolla. There were three people inside the Corolla and two pedestrians standing alongside the Corolla when it was struck.

Two days later, a 73-year-old woman crossing the road at Woodfield Road and Oakford Street in Lakeview was struck by a 2003 Toyota Highlander at 9:17 p.m., according to the police. The woman suffered serious injuries and was transported by a Nassau County Ambulance to a local area hospital. As of press time, she is listed in critical condition.

The driver of the Highlander, an 82-year-old man, remained on the scene and contacted police.

Maureen Greenberg, president of the West Hempstead Community Support Association, said the community has become too familiar with roadway tragedies.

“It always saddens the community when a tragedy occurs,” Greenberg said. “Unfortunately, even with traffic lights and marked roads, those that drive without regard for the lives of others is a hard thought-process to stop.”

After 12-year-old Tomas Molina was struck and killed last October while crossing Woodfield Road, the community demanded action. Officials, including Nassau County Legislator John Giuffrè, announced during a public meeting in April that a new traffic light would be installed on Woodfield Road.

Giuffrè, who owns a law firm that handles traffic accident cases, said four new traffic lights are being installed on Nassau Boulevard. Giuffrè has worked with the county’s traffic engineers to identify other ways to make county roads, especially in West Hempstead, safer.

“I have requested traffic signals at different locations, and lighted crosswalks,” Giuffrè said.

However, Giuffrè said for every 10 constituents who request more traffic calming features, there is one who complains about traffic being made too slow.

“It’s a balancing act the traffic engineers have to deal with,” Giuffrè said. “My colleagues on the Legislature and I have gotten complaints that there are too many traffic lights, and that it takes too long to get to work.”

The process of installing a new traffic light typically takes two years, Giuffrè said, from planning to completion. The Woodfield Road light was expedited because the community response to Molina’s death.

Giuffrè added that in addition to traffic calming measures like lights and signs, continued education can help reduce accidents.

“The best thing we can do is to educate people about distracted driving, driving impaired while on alcohol or drugs, and tired driving,” Giuffrè said. “I see people driving and texting, people looking at their phones. My wife and I have taken defensive driving courses, and they are good reminders.”

A GoFundMe page has been established to pay for burial costs for Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez. Visit GoFundMe.com and search “Katerine Vanegas-Hernandez” to donate.