Pedestrian Hit By Van In Ozone Park Accident - NY1.com

Read original...

A car accident in Ozone Park, Queens sent a woman to the hospital on Friday.

Officials say two vehicles collided on 103rd Avenue and 93rd Street on Friday afternoon.

One of the involved vehicles, a white van, jumped the sidewalk and struck a pedestrian.

"I heard a big boom from an impact at the intersection. I looked up and I saw the white van across the street crashing into the stoop and the stoop being decimated, bricks flying everywhere," said an eyewitness. "I walked down the block to see what happened and in front of the van was a woman laying unconscious with serious head wounds, laying there in a pool of blood."

Fire officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

The driver of the car was cited for driving with a suspended license, and the driver of the van stayed on the scene and was not charged.

Grandmother Struck by Out of Control Van in Ozone Park, Queensby NJ Burkett - 7online.com

Read original...

A grandmother is fighting for her life after two vans collided in Queens.

The force of the impact sent one of the vans careening through the intersection and onto the sidewalk.
The victim, a 53-year-old woman, was left sprawled across the pavement, gasping for breath and covered in blood.

Family members say she was waiting on the corner to cross the street, on her way to pick up her grandchildren from school.

The accident happened at 103rd Avenue and 93rd Street in Ozone Park.

There is a stop sign on each corner, but witnesses told police the van ran one of them and ended-up on the sidewalk after it was struck broadside by another vehicle.

Neighbors say it's not only tragic, it's infuriating because it happens all the time.

We watched tonight as drivers routinely barreled through the intersection without stopping-or looking.

It happened over and over and over again, barely three hours after the blood and car parts from this latest crash had been cleared from the street.

The van came to rest on the doorstep of 85-year-old Anita Bajardi, whose insurance company installed steel poles to protect her home because accidents are so common.

Queens Woman Critical After Van Jumped a Curb in Ozone Park by Lisa L. Colangelo and Joe Kemp - NY Daily News

Read original...

A 51-year-old woman was in grave condition Friday after a van jumped a curb on a Queens street and plowed her into a building, police and witnesses said.

The van lost control after it collided with another van at 103rd Ave. and 93rd St. in Ozone Park about 2:30 p.m., cops and witnesses said.

"I looked up and saw the white van crashing into the stoop," said David Quintana, who was reading a paper nearby. "I saw bricks flying everywhere. There was a woman lying unconscious in a pool of blood."

The woman was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was in critical condition.

Francisco Mena, 49, the driver of the van that didn't hit the woman, was later arrested for driving without a license.

Bibi Ibrahim, who lives next door to where the van crashed, said it was just a matter of time with so many drivers racing through the stop signs.

"They should really put a light in there," she said.

Man Hit By Car on Crossbay Blvd and Liberty Avenue - April 29th...

Click here to view these pictures larger

I took the above photos on Friday evening, April 29^th at about 6:15 pm, as I was going to the Ridgewood Democratic Club for the monthly meeting.

I observed a man who was hit by a black sedan lying on the ground at the intersection of Crossbay Blvd and Liberty Avenue in front of the former OTB.

The EMTs from Jamaica Hospital and cops from the 106 Pct showed up while I was still there. The driver remained at the scene.

Witnesses told me that the driver of the car was impatient and jumped the red light striking the man as he entered the crosswalk and dragged him a about 10 feet before coming to a complete stop. The driver of the car was a middle-aged black woman, she was accompanied by a male passenger.

The pedestrian seemed to be injured and in shock. He remained on the ground until the EMT's arrived and placed him on a back board and a neck brace. I heard him complaining of back and neck injuries while he was on the ground.

AT&T Don't Text While Driving Documentary - YouTube

AT&T's Texting & Drivng Campaign Urges Consumers That 'It Can Wait. This documentary featuring families affected by texting while behind the wheel is being distributed to educators, government officials, safety organizations and public as part of a educational awareness campaign.

Fatal Crash Kills Beloved Young Brooklyn Sad on 'Deathtrap' Street by Ryan Lavis, Rocco Parascandola & Barry Paddock - NY Times

Read original...

A young father died in a fatal crash on what neighbors called a 'deathtrap' street.

Twisted metal and a white sheet over the body of a beloved young dad dramatically tell the story of a crash that left a Brooklyn family grieving and a Queens neighborhood reeling.

Geraud Gray, 24, of East Flatbush, lost control of his black 2003 Nissan on a curve, slamming into the pole on North Conduit Ave. near 78th St. in Ozone Park about 10:16 a.m. yesterday, authorities said.

Witnesses reported he was speeding and driving erratically on a stretch of North Conduit Ave. that's a hot spot for drag-racing, cops said.

Witnesses told cops they saw two other vehicles speed by moments before Gray crashed.

"It was mangled," stunned neighbor Jackie Pellegrino, 60, said of the car, which wound up flipped over on its roof.

"This street is a deathtrap," agreed her daughter, Jodie, 33. "I wouldn't even walk my dog on this street. I'm petrified."

Amazingly, an 18-year-old man in the passenger seat somehow survived and is in stable condition at Brookdale University Hospital, authorities said. His name was not released.

Gray, who worked for FedEx, had a 2-year-old son.

"He was loved by all," said friend Selly Richards, 41. "He was a family man. He spent a lot of time with his kid."

bpaddock@nydailynews.com

Photo and video by: Todd Maisel - Daily News

Queens 4-year-old Girl Hit by Jaguar is Doing a 'Little Better' Since Accident by Joe Kemp - NY Daily News

Read original...

Nilay Zaman, 4, and brother Arman were injured in a crash in Queens Wednesday night.

A 4-year-old gravely injured by a car gave signs she may be winning her battle to live, relatives said.

Nilay Zaman was crossing 101st Ave. in Woodhaven (Editor note: actually Ozone Park) on Wednesday with her mother and 5-year-old brother when a Jaguar turned from 81st St. and struck the family, cops said.

Nilay was critically hurt, suffering skull fractures and chest trauma.

"There's so much broken bones," said her father, Hasan Zaman, 30, a cabbie.

"We're praying to God that he will help us."

But there was good news yesterday.

"She's a little better," he said. "She's improving. She can hear us."

Zaman is keeping vigil for his daughter in the intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell. His wife and son are out of the hospital.

Deborah Johnson, 53, the driver of the 2003 Jaguar that hit the child, remained at the scene, and no charges are expected.

Five Young Women Hurt When Their Car Crashes Into a Pole Near Woodhaven Boulevard by Annie Karni and Matthew Nestel - NYPOST.com

Read original...

Five young women were taken to Queens hospitals early yesterday morning after this devastating crash, which tore apart their car.

EMS crews had to cut the women from the destroyed vehicle, which was wrapped around a pole near the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South in Woodhaven.

Four of the women in the car were 18 years old; the other was 21. Police did not say who was driving.

Two were taken to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, and the other three to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The 21-year-old was listed in critical condition at Jamaica. The conditions of the other four were not immediately available.

Bad Luck Biden: V.P.'s Escort Involved in Another Crash - NBC New York

Read original...

Don't ask Vice President Joe Biden about New York traffic.

For the second time in less than a year, a part of the vice president's motorcade was involved in a fender bender. Two NYPD motorcycle units helping escort the veep were involved in a minor accident in Queens, police said Thursday.

The officers suffered minor injuries and are being treated at Elmhurst Hospital. 

The VP continued on his way.

Last November, two advance vehicles -- paving the way for Biden to appear on The Daily Show -- were driving on 49th Street and 10th Avenue when they slammed into a livery cab. Four people -- two NYPD officers and two civilians -- were injured.

The cars apparently had lights and sirens on at the time, officials said.

Boulevard of Death Strikes Again: 76-year-old Man Killed on Queens Boulevard by Rocco Parascandola and Rich Schapiro - NY Daily News

Read original...

NYPD Highway Patrol investigates an accident where an elderly man was struck by a Dept. of Corrections vehicle on Queens Blvd. - Nicastro for News

The Boulevard of Death has claimed another life.

A 76-year-old man was mowed down early Friday while crossing notorious Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens, police said.

Robert Borchers was crossing 80th Road when a marked Correction Department car heading south slammed into him about 5:30 a.m, police said.

The mortally wounded Borchers was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

It was initially unclear whether he was crossing with the light.

Some witnesses told cops Borchers had the right of way, but cops believe that he was walking against the light.

The driver, a civilian worker, remained on the scene and is not expected to be charged, sources said.

The wide boulevard gained its nickname after 72 pedestrians were killed from 1993 to 2000.

A recent Daily News investigation found three randomly tested intersections where seniors and other pedestrians have to run across in order to beat the light.

It's unclear how much time the light at 80th Road gives pedestrians to cross safely.

Gas Tanker Strikes, Kills Teen In Queens - NY1.com

Read original...

A 13-year-old boy was killed Monday after being hit by a truck in Queens.

Police say the teen was riding his bike when he was struck by an 18-wheel gas truck at Fresh Pond Road and Eliot Avenue in Middle Village.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Wykoff Medical Center.

The driver of the truck stayed at the scene.

Middle Village Car Crash Claims Life? by Holly Tsang & Shane Miller - QueensLedger

Read original...

The residential intersection of Juniper Boulevard South and 70th Street was blocked off for hours Friday morning after a car crashed into a tree at approximately 10:30 a.m., killing the driver.

“I was watering the flowers in my yard when I heard a big bang,” said a witness, who was standing about 15 feet from the site of the crash. “It’s a different sound when metal hits wood.”

He noted there are usually four cars parked in front of the tree on any given day, but today for some reason, all the spots were unoccupied.

Details on the cause of the crash were not yet available, as police are still investigating. An officer on the scene estimated that the male victim was in his sixties.

The witness pointed out that there was no collision except with the tree.

“He lost control. Maybe he had an attack or something,” he said.

The force of the impact was so great that the car was completely destroyed, and emergency crews had to cut the victim out of the wreckage. One of the car's headlights was still lying on the sidewalk on 70th Street, about 100 feet from the scene of the accident, hours after the incident.

The witness, who asked that his name not be printed, was surprised that no relatives of the victim had arrived nearly two hours after the accident, admitting that he himself was a little shaken up.

“Every accident is a shock because it’s something you don’t expect, and you try to wish it away, but it happens,” said the witness, adding that he was so close to the site that fluid from the car sprayed the back of his shirt. “If that tree hadn’t been there, I’d be dead.”

Spectators Suffer Minor Injuries in S.I. Helicopter Mishap by Tim Minton and Michael Clancy - NBC New York

Read original...

Ten people were injured, including seven transported to the hospital, when an Osprey military aircraft performing a Memorial Day demonstration in a Staten Island park knocked down tree limbs onto spectators.

The Osprey MV-22 aircraft was landing at Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park around 9 a.m. Monday as part of Fleet Week when it blew down a number of tree limbs. Video captured by an overhead chopper filming the demonstration shows spectators scrambling for cover as the powerful helicopter - which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically, like a helicopter -- kicked up a terrible wind.

"It was like two tornadoes with the propellers," eyewitness Keith Carlsen told NBCNewYork. "They got low and everything started flying. I was walking 300 yards away and it was still amazing."

Onlookers first scrambled for cover and then rushed to clear fallen branches to see if people were trapped beneath them. Parents snatched up small children and carried them out of harm's way. One tree lost all its branches on one side, photographs from the scene show.

ed, including seven transported to the hospital, when an Osprey military aircraft performing a Memorial Day demonstration in a Staten Island

park knocked down tree limbs onto spectators.

The Osprey MV-22 aircraft was landing at Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park around 9 a.m. Monday as part of Fleet Week when it blew down a number of tree limbs. Video captured by an overhead chopper filming the demonstration shows spectators scrambling for cover as the powerful helicopter - which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically, like a helicopter -- kicked up a terrible wind.

"It was like two tornadoes with the propellers," eyewitness Keith Carlsen told NBCNewYork. "They got low and everything started flying. I was walking 300 yards away and it was still amazing."

Onlookers first scrambled for cover and then rushed to clear fallen branches to see if people were trapped beneath them. Parents snatched up small children and carried them out of harm's way. One tree lost all its branches on one side, photographs from the scene show.

"The wind was unbearable," recalled eyewitness Anita Muriale. "People were falling. Trash was going all over the place. Trees was flipping -- I ran!"

Ten people suffered minor injuries in the mishap. Seven people taken to Richmond University Hospital and three people on the scene refused treatment, according to the fire department.

The MV-22 is a Marine Corps version of the V-22, which combines airplane-like wings with rotors that let it take off and land vertically. It "stirs up a lot of wind, and that's apparently what did it," Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Josh Diddams said.

"We came in over the trees and the next thing I see is a Tennessee Titans blanket blowing up in the air and so that made me think something was below us," Capt. Mike Henson told NBCNewYork. "And I turned down and looked and there's some people walking away from the downed tree."

A joint venture of Boeing Co. and Textron Inc.'s Bell Helicopter, the V-22 is designed to carry 24 combat troops and fly twice as fast as the Vietnam War-era assault helicopters it was designed to replace.

The Osprey program was nearly scrapped after a history of mechanical failures and two test crashes that killed 23 Marines in 2000. But development continued, and the aircraft have been deployed to Iraq.

While the General Accounting Office questioned the V-22's performance in a report last year, the Marine Corps has called it effective.

In hindsight things would be done differently but every precaution had been taken, the Marine regiment commander in charge of the operation said.

"All i can tell you is we hit all of the safety parameters as far as distances," Col. Eric Smith said. "So the people were as far back as they should have safely been. But that tree limb obviously was not something we anticipated snapping."

Truck Fire Backs Up Traffic On Van Wyck - wcbstv.com

Read original...

A U.S. mail truck rolled over and caught fire on the Van Wyck Expressway early Tuesday morning.

The vehicle was traveling southbound just before the Jackie Robinson Parkway at around 4:30 a.m. The driver sustained minor injuries.

All northbound lanes has since reopened, but traffic remains heavy in both directions.

As an alternative, take the Grand Central Parkway or the Long Island Expressway to Queens Blvd. back to the Van Wyck.

Transportation Commissioner Ruled Out All-Way Stop at Hazardous Middle Village Corner Before Crash by Nicholas Hirshon - NY Daily News

Read original...

Rescue workers assist a preschool girl who was hurt when her schoolbus overturned in an accident at 69th Road and 76th St. in Middle Village on Tuesday. Farriella for News

The Queens transportation commissioner ruled out an all-way stop for a hazardous Middle Village corner just months before a bus carrying preschoolers overturned in a traffic accident a block away Tuesday, leaving the tots bumped and bruised.

Commissioner Maura McCarthy rejected the all-way stop in June after the Transportation Department studied car and pedestrian volumes, accidents and other factors at 76th St. and 69th Road.

"Based upon our evaluation of the data collected, it is our judgment that all-way stop controls are not recommended at this time," McCarthy wrote in a letter to City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village).

McCarthy pledged in the same missive to install a "Stop Ahead" sign and "Stop" pavement markings on 76th St.

Crews soon erected the "Stop Ahead" sign, but the markings had still not appeared Tuesday afternoon when a sedan struck the schoolbus on 75th St.

No charges were filed, but the children, the bus driver and the bus matron were treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

Crowley had warned the city in four letters - the first on Feb. 3 - to investigate whether "traffic calming measures" would improve safety on 69th Road.

McCarthy's June reply was the city's only response to Crowley.

"I'm going to demand a four-way stop sign right here as soon as possible," Crowley told the Daily News about an hour after the crash. "We can't wait for a more serious accident to happen."

Transportation Department spokesman Scott Gastel said the city is evaluating safety improvements for three local intersections at Crowley's behest.

The pavement markings will be installed by the end of the month, weather permitting, he said.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene Tuesday as locals desperately rescued the crying youngsters from the wreckage.

"They're all screaming for their moms," said Dorothy Leddick, 35, who lives at the corner. "It started pulling my heartstrings."

Leddick and neighbor Melissa Licausi, 36, tried to comfort the traumatized tots with blankets, juice boxes and reassuring words.

"My heart was in my mouth," Licausi said. "They were all crying. They were very scared."

Jerry DeStefano, 66, who lives down the block, said residents had unsuccessfully lobbied Crowley's predecessors, Dennis Gallagher and Anthony Como, to fund a traffic light or speed bump.

Joe Girardi Helps Car Crash Victim After World Series Win - Huffington Post

Read original...

Yankees manager Joe Girardi capped off a victorious evening by helping a car crash victim in suburban New York.

Police say Girardi pulled over to help after a woman lost control on a Westchester County parkway and crashed into a wall around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

That was just hours after Girardi's team claimed a World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Girardi tells WFAN-AM that he was "really concerned" because of damage to her car. He says he had his wife call 911, then approached the mangled vehicle.

The woman had only cuts, and police arrived minutes later.

Officer Kathleen Cristiano says that seeing Girardi at the accident scene later "was totally surreal."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/05/joe-girardi-helps-crash-v_n_347301.html&cp

Woman Killed Crossing Woodhaven Blvd. by Kathy Carvajal - Fox News NY

Read original...

Driver Remained On Scene

REGO PARK, N.Y. - A 32-year-old woman was killed as she crossed Woodhaven Boulevard.

Police say the victim was near 62-79 Woodhaven Boulevard when she was struck.

The incident happened at around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

A 2000 Mercedes Benz struck the woman. She died at the scene. The driver waited for cops to arrive.

No criminality is suspected.

Crash Claims Ozone Park Man by Ivan Pereira - New York Post

Read original...

A fatal accident on an Ozone Park street early Sunday morning sent residents into shock as they raced to try to save the man who was hit by a luxury car.

Donald Bryan was dropped off by a cab near his home around 85th Street and Sutter Avenue around midnight when he was struck by a 2008 Lexus that was being driven westbound on Sutter by a unidentified 18-year-old, police said.

The 32-year-old, who worked at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center as a security guard, was flipped in the air, then hit the back window and landed on the street while the car crashed into the gate of Mokom Sholom Cemetery on Sutter Avenue and 84th Street, according to eyewitnesses.

Bryan was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital less than an hour later due to brunt trauma to his lower body, police and the city's medical examiner said.

"Quite a lot of people were coming out with towels," said Kevin Wickers, 47, one of several nearby residents who ran to help when they heard the accident. "He was bleeding all over the place."

The teen driver, who was with two other passengers, stayed at the scene of the accident and had not been arrested or charged as of press time Tuesday, the police and Queens district attorney's office said. It was not known whether he was speeding, although Wickers and other neighbors said they heard the car go fast.

"They weren't hurt, they were more shook up," Wickers said of the car's occupants.

Wickers and several other neighbors said a cab was dropping off Bryan from Manhattan after he finished work that night. Christopher Gianni, who stayed with the victim until first responders arrived, said he saw the cab drive off after the accident.

Gianni, who spent 20 years with the U.S. Navy and currently works with the U.S. Coast Guard as a civilian, said he tried to administer first aid to Bryan.

"He asked, 'What happened?' and I told him, 'You were just hit by a car,'" Gianni recalled.

Friends of the security guard set up a makeshift memorial at the edge of the cemetery where he was hit. In addition to flowers and a candle, the memorial included a picture of Bryan, posing casually in a black T-shirt.

Several neighbors said the road in the area, which borders Tudor Village, has had problems with speeding drivers over the years. Several drivers have caused minor accidents and near-misses due to their excessive driving, according to Wickers.

"They come off flying off the Conduit," he said.

Gianni said he and several neighbors have complained to the city about the dangerous road and said the fatal accident could spur someone to come up with a way to curb speeders. He suggested a flashing yellow light to slow down drivers.

"I hope after this they could do something with the street," Gianni said.

A Real Hero: Quick-thinking Teen Rachel Guzy Pulled Bus Brake After Driver Dropped Dead BY Henrick Karoliszyn, Edgar Sandoval and Rich Schapiro - NYDN

Read original...

Camp counselor Rachel Guzy, 16, saved 9 kids after their bus driver had a heart attack and died while driving.

A quick-thinking 16-year-old girl - who doesn't even know how to drive - was hailed as a hero on Wednesday for saving a bus full of kids after the driver dropped dead behind the wheel.

"If not for Rachel, we could have been dead or at the hospital," Artemis Sacramone, 12, a camper at the Magic Carpet Day Camp, said Wednesday, a day after camp counselor Rachel Guzy's heroic act.

"You can only hope a counselor acts like she did," said Brett Tawil, owner of the Bayside, Queens, camp. "In the tragedy, we have a hero."

Rachel sprang into action after driver Ramon Fernandez collapsed and tumbled out of the bus as it roared toward an Elmhurst intersection Tuesday afternoon. Aboard the bus were nine children, ages 7 to 14, and Rachel, who doesn't even have a learner's permit.

Rachel quickly bounded into the driver's seat and pulled the emergency brake, slowing the vehicle before it crashed into a minivan.

No one was seriously hurt in the accident.

Fernandez was later pronounced dead, apparently from a heart attack.

Artemis was among a slew of campers, staffers and even the bus driver's relatives who hailed Rachel as a hero - but the quick-thinking teen from Astoria wasn't having any of it.

"I just did what I had to do," Rachel said Wednesday. "Everything went through my mind. I worried about the kids. I worried about the driver. I knew I had to react."

The trouble started just before 4:30 p.m. when Fernandez complained of being hot and stopped the bus outside a bodega, so Rachel could get him some water.

The campers had spent the afternoon bowling in Flushing and were on their way home.

After Rachel returned with the water, Fernandez continued along his route with the bus' doors open.

He was talking with Rachel when he suddenly collapsed as the bus approached the intersection of Hampton St. and Elmhurst Ave.

"Out of nowhere, there was a car coming and he just kept driving," said Rachel, a first-year counselor.

"He was slouched over. I thought he was picking something up, but then, next thing is, he rolls off the bus."

Several frightened campers began shrieking. Rachel didn't hesitate.

"I just jumped into the driver's seat, and the first thing I did was press down on the brake as hard as I could," Rachel said. "Then I pulled the emergency brake.

"I was a nervous wreck. I was shaking and I was crying. I couldn't breathe. It was the scariest thing I've ever had to do in my life."

Rachel, a junior at Bryant High School in Long Island City, said she had a sense of what to do because she had spent time messing "around with everything on the bus. I never knew it would pay off. I guess it pays to be curious."

Camper Nicole Doyle, 11, said Rachel's flash of courage didn't surprise her.

"She really cares about the kids," Nicole said. "The kids were her main concern. They always are."

As the campers and staff celebrated Rachel's heroism, Fernandez's relatives mourned the sudden loss of a man they described as a devoted dad and fierce protector of kids.

"He loved those children and would have done everything he could to make sure they were safe," Fernandez's sister Guillermina Rosa said before praising Rachel.

"She was a very brave young woman - to be only 16 and think to pull the brakes."

Fernandez, a married father from Valley Stream, L.I., with two adult children, had been a school bus driver for 15 years, relatives said

Fernandez's niece said Rachel's actions added a silver lining to the tragedy.

"This is a tragedy for us, but she just came through," Keila Fernandez said. "He did what he could. Until his last moment, he tried to stop the bus - but his heart took him away."

Assembly-member Mark Weprin Demands Investigation Into 260th Street Gas Explosion

Assemblymember Mark S. Weprin (D-Little Neck) wrote to Commissioner Garry A. Brown, New York State Public Service Commission, and to Chairman Kevin Burke, Consolidated Edison, to express serious concern regarding the powerful natural gas explosion that took the life of a young mother in Floral Park, Queens on Friday, April 24. In a joint letter with Assemblymember Kevin Cahill, Assemblymember Weprin pointed out Con Edison’s apparent lack of emergency planning and called for a full investigation, public hearings, and recommendations for improvement, all of which should be widely available to the public.

Over the weekend, several news outlets reported that a Con Edison spokesperson said that there was no protocol in place for this type of incident. “This very statement indicates that there is a serious gap in the emergency planning and implementation process,” said Assemblymember Weprin. “Both Con Edison and regulatory officials must address the situation.”

Mr. Weprin called for the review of, and a report on, the protocols that should be followed in the event of a suspected natural gas leak. He said that Con Edison should fully disclose existing policies, practices, training with regard to gas leaks; how and why procedures were or were not followed in this instance; and what recommendations are necessary to improve emergency responses. “When three children lose their mother, it is truly a tragedy,” said Mr. Weprin. “We must ensure that every appropriate precaution is taken so that no other family has to endure the loss of a loved one.”

Assemblymember Weprin noted that Con Edison is responsible for 7,200 miles of mains and service pipes for gas delivery to over one million ratepayers. “We must ensure that the company be held directly responsible for the safety of its xustomers,” he said.