Mamaroneck community wants to improve safety after deadly crash

MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- The Westchester County road where a boy and his mom were killed two weeks ago sees far more crashes than average, according to a traffic safety consultant.

Now, a community is rushing to improve safety.

Stretch of Mamaroneck Avenue sees more crashes than statewide average, report says

A busy five-block stretch of Mamaroneck Avenue from Andrews Street to Grand Street averages 41 crashes a year -- three times the statewide average -- according to a report from a traffic consultant .

The report says from 2014 through 2023, there have been a total of 405 crashes on that stretch of Mamaroneck Avenue.

Veronica Romano is not surprised by the number of accidents on Mamaroneck Avenue.

"Parents are bringing kids to school ... People are coming in and out of this shopping center constantly. I think it's the perfect storm for an accident," she said.

On June 20, 43-year-old Molly Donovan and her 6-year-old son, Michael Volpe, were crossing Mamaroneck Avenue and had the right of way when a school bus making a left plowed into them. Michael died at the scene. Donovan was taken to a local hospital, where she also died from her injuries.

Report recommends safety improvements for Mamaroneck Avenue

The mother and son's deaths have spurred the village of Mamaroneck to action.

"I'm sure that we are going to take a deep dive as a community and look at the most effective ways to keep our passageways safe," Mamaroneck Schools Superintendent Dr. Chuck Sampson said on June 20.

That process is now well underway.

A near-term step may be an "exclusive pedestrian phase" at the deadly intersection. All vehicular traffic would have red lights while pedestrians had the walk signal. That would eliminate right-turn-on-red for vehicles leaving the busy shopping complex.

"They should absolutely prevent this from ever happening again. And if that means people have to wait a few minutes more, then so be it," Romano said.

Other steps might include speed cameras, restricting parking near the avenue to improve sightlines and widening sidewalks.

Mamaroneck Avenue is a county road, and Westchester is promising to work with the village on safety measures after such a terrible loss.