By Sophia Chang
On July 7 around 11 a.m., as they rode their matching Diamondback bikes down the street west on 56th Avenue, 12-year-old Nicholas Ho approached the intersection at Francis Lewis Boulevard with his brother Sebastian following behind him, police said.
At the same time, a 1997 Ford dump truck from Auburndale Inc. traveling south on Francis Lewis Boulevard ran the red light at the intersection and hit Nicholas, according to police, knocking him off his bike with such force that one white sneaker came off the boy.
After witnesses who live in the area called 911, Nicholas was taken to New York Hospital in Flushing and then transported to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, a Weill spokeswoman said Monday.
His parents and Sebastian, who live in Fresh Meadows a dozen blocks from the site of the accident, followed Nicholas to Weill, New York Hospital officials said.
Nicholas' accident came just days after a Bayside boy, Joseph Baik, was killed on July 1 after a car struck him as he rode his bike off the ramp near the Horace Harding Expressway and Cloverdale Boulevard.
Outraged community leaders and politicians rallied at the Francis Lewis and 56th Avenue intersection Sunday to demand changes to area traffic enforcement, asking for cameras to be placed at more intersections to prevent further tragedies.
“Red-light cameras have been proven to deter drivers from running through red lights. This is a matter of life and death,” said City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) in a statement. Liu, who is chairman of the Council's Committee on Transportation, said the Council has passed a bill asking the state to install additional cameras. There are already 50 in place around the city.
Liu also is calling for harsher punishment for the driver, who was issued a summons for running the red light. “I'm enraged that he got off with just a traffic ticket,” Liu said. “The man deliberately ran through a red light and nearly killed Nicholas. It seems to me that there's something criminal about that. At the very least, a full investigation into his background and driving history is warranted.”
The 20-year-old driver, whose name was not released, has a clean driving record, according to Sgt. Kay Moskowitz of the 111th Precinct.
State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) said he has sponsored state legislation to increase the number of traffic light cameras, which document red light runners' license plates so that they can be issued summons for those infractions.
“Intersection accidents of people running red lights are the most serious,” Padavan said, citing the speed of motorists and the direct impact with other cars or pedestrians crossing. “The existence of these cameras reduce red-light runners by at least 60 percent.”
“Douglaston Parkway and Northern Boulevard has a camera and it works very well,” Padavan said. “Traffic lights, cameras that take photographs, short of having a policeman at every intersection I don't know what else you can do.”
In addition, Joseph's death has spurred Community Board 11 member Loretta Napier to call an emergency meeting Thursday with local politicians and representatives from the city Department of Transportation. Napier's grandson was killed by a car four years ago in a similar bike accident as he rode off the pedestrian ramp at Clearview Expressway and 46th Avenue, and she has been campaigning for safety improvements to those overpasses and ramps since her grandson's death.
“We've appealed for five years for increased traffic conditions through the Department of Transportation to stop these deaths, to save these lives of our children,” she said. “The whole community is outraged.”
Napier said the area where Nicholas was hurt is known for speeding drivers.
“Francis Lewis has been a haven for speeding forever,” she said. “Although NYPD does what it can, it's limited. Their manpower limits them, and there's not enough precinct coverage.”
In addition to reckless drivers and hazardous road conditions, some residents living near Francis Lewis said they see many kids on bikes who are not wearing the helmets required by law.
“It's very rare to see kids with helmets,” said Grace Carton, who lives two blocks from the intersection of 46th and Francis Lewis. She said her two children, 12 and 13, are not allowed to go out alone on their bikes yet. “It's the parents who need to enforce these rules.”
Reach reporter Sophia Chang by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
