16 THE QUEENS COURIER • JANUARY 9, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
LeFrak City residents mourn 10-year-old pedestrian killed in collision
BY MAX PARROTT
mparrott@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Councilman Francisco Moya and the
LeFrak City Tenants Association held a
vigil on Tuesday evening for the 10-yearold
boy who was fatally struck by a New
York City Department of Sanitation truck
outside the LeFrak City apartments in
Corona earlier that morning.
Prayer candle in hand at the intersection
where the tragic crash occurred,
Moya linked it to an “epidemic” of pedestrian
fatalities both in Corona and across
the city. He urged the Department of
Transportation to take action along the
stretch of 57th Avenue with street calming
measures and a traffi c study.
“I’ve had meetings and phone calls today
with the Department of Transportation
looking for diff erent ways to create street
calming and also implement diff erent
kinds of measures that would protect the
residents who will be crossing the street
here,” said Moya.
Moya said that he requested more
crossing guards, better street lighting
and changes to the traffi c signaling.
Without the fi nal results of the then-ongoing
NYPD investigation of the accident,
Moya declined to say whether these
measures could have saved the 10 yearold
boy and his mother, who was in critical
condition at Elmhurst Hospital at the
time of the vigil.
Moya added that he has asked the DOT
to conduct a study on how pedestrians
can be safer on the thoroughfare on 57th
Avenue and on Junction Boulevard.
Michelle Dunston, LeFrak City Tenants
Association president, said that the organization
had been working with DOT to
address pedestrian safety prior to the accident,
and that the agency would be coming
to their next meeting.
Dunston, also the crossing guard supervisor
for the 110th Precinct, said that
there were no crossing guards stationed
at the location of the accident. Moya said
that he had put in a request months ago
to get more crossing guards along the
stretch.
Later that night, an NYPD spokesperson
told QNS that the Highway District’s
Collision Investigation Squad determined
the accident occurred aft er the sanitation
truck made an eastbound right turn onto
57th Avenue, striking the two pedestrians
who emerged from the passenger side of
the vehicle and subsequently running them
over with the passenger-side front tire.
Moya said that the vigil was organized
to show support during the family’s time
in need. No members of the family were
present.
A DOT spokesperson said that the
agency will visit the crash site along
with NYPD and will continue to evaluate
the location for potential further safety
improvements, as is standard practice
aft er any traffi c fatality.
Parents celebrate birth of New Year’s baby born at Far Rock hospital
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Two parents in the Rockaways had
more than just the New Year to celebrate
last week.
Molly Casiano and Vincent John welcomed
their son Kenzo Ezekiel John,
who was the fi rst baby born at St. John’s
Episcopal Hospital (SJEH) on New Year’s
Day. At 12:14 a.m., the couple’s child came
into the world at 4 pounds 13 ounces and
18 inches long.
Th ough Baby Kenzo was born with
jaundice and shy of full-term, the hospital
reported that he is thriving thanks to the
use of a Giraff e Incubator Carestation and
a GE Healthcare Bilisoft Phototherapy
System. Last year, SJEH raised $20,000 to
purchase a second Giraff e Incubator and
is fundraising to buy additional Bilisoft
systems, which help alleviate jaundice.
“As a fi rst-time mom I knew nothing
about jaundice and was nervous,” Casiano
said. “Th e fact that Enzo is able to be in
the incubator, use the Bilisoft and stay in
my room with me at the same time makes
me feel comfortable. He’s comfortable and
it’s like he’s lying on a beach.”
Joe Caraccia of Jzanus presenting the
baby monitor
Following Kenzo’s birth, SJEH gave
the family celebratory tokens including
a stroller, clothing, a baby care kit and a
baby bouncer. Th e hospital also gave the
family a baby monitor courtesy of Long
Island-based company Jzanus, who committed
to donating baby monitors to each
baby born at the hospital in the month of
January.
“Th e Bilisoft is what makes Enzo’s skin
go from yellowish pigment to normal,”
John said. “It’s perfect that the community
contributed to fundraising for this equipment
just for the little ones because, at the
end of the day, babies are our legacy.”
According to city data, the Rockaways
have a higher percentage of preterm
births, with a rate of 11.3 percent compared
to the city average of 8.7 percent.
Th is has driven SJEH to fundraise for
life-saving equipment for babies.
Anyone interested in contributing to
the fundraising eff orts can visit ehs.org/
bilisoft .
Dean Moses/QNS
From left: Councilman Francisco Moya and Lefrak City Tenant Association President Michelle Dunston
Joe Caraccia of Jzanus presenting the baby monitor
Photos courtesy of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
CEO Jerry Walsh, CMO Donald Morrish, Joe Caraccia from Jzanus, CMO Gwen Pinckney, CMO Denise Potts, director of maternal
child health and parents Molly Casiano and Vincent John with Baby Kenzo.
/ehs.org
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