Family in fatal Mamaroneck crosswalk crash calls for justice for mom, son who died

The family of Molly Murphey Donovan and Michael “Mikey” Donovan Volpe, the mother and son who died after being hit by a minibus while on their way to school June 20, say they've been kept in the dark on the investigation and are demanding justice.

In a letter sent to the USA Today Network New York late Sunday, Erin Donovan sought action on the case of her sister, Molly, and her nephew, Mikey.

"I feel like this is being swept under the rug as a matter of convenience," Donovan wrote. "The fact of the matter is that this is not a 'tragic accident.' "

She wants to see the minibus driver, who has not been identified by police, charged with a crime.

Molly Donovan and her 6-year-old son Mikey, were killed on their way to Mamaroneck Avenue School in the Mamaroneck school district. They were in the crosswalk at New Street, crossing the busy four-lane Mamaroneck Avenue, at an intersection that had no crossing guard.

Village police have called what happened "a tragic accident" and have not identified the 68-year-old driver of the Royal Coach Lines mini-bus, who is cooperating with the investigation.

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Erin Donovan sees it differently. To her, it's not an accident, but a crime. She wrote that she wants to "ensure that the city and county view this as a high-profile crime needing their upmost integrity to solve."

Donovan wrote that her sister and nephew "did everything right. They used the crosswalk. They waited for the walk sign."

"When we consider that pedestrians have the right of way, when we consider this was a busy intersection and this was the time that our babies were making their way to school, it is unthinkable to me that their deaths were reported as a 'tragic accident,' keeping in mind that this was not the first child injured in this intersection."

Donovan, who lives in Colorado, wrote emotionally of what she lost when her sister and nephew were killed.

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"I am married to an Irish man with a big Irish family, and I have always told him I have one … one sister, one nephew," she wrote. "Mikey was an amazing kid. He would have either found the cure for all diseases or have been the mastermind who was poised to take over humanity. He just had that kind of spark."

Molly Murphey Donovan died days before her 44th birthday. Mikey was 6.

"Molly was a community builder. Everywhere she went, every person she touched was carried with her. Through her humor, kindness and simple loyalty, she inspired people to be more than they thought they could be. And the two of them … they were meant for each other. They had a bond beyond mother and son; they were souls who found each other. And now they are gone."

"It is time to make this right," Donovan continued. "In the spirit of justice and integrity, we must make sure the investigation is completed in a timely and thoughtful manner to ensure that the responsible parties are not only held accountable, but that the city of Mamaroneck and the county of Westchester are held responsible for making the social changes necessary to ensure that this calamity, this loss of potential, loss of love and loss of our future is never experienced again."

Family kept in the dark, calls for community action

Donovan said the family, including Tom Volpe, Mikey's father, has been kept in the dark in the 38 days since losing their loved ones.

"The family has not been kept abreast of the investigation, we do not have a police liaison," she wrote.

Donovan wrote that she will not rest "until I see a completed investigation carried out with a sense of integrity that is in line with my own sense of justice. I will see to it that Westchester never forgets Molly and Mikey. Because, we as their family never will. We will never be the same. We miss their laughs and the brightness they gave us. I am haunted each morning that I will grow old without them."

Donovan then turned from her loss and issued a call to action: "I implore you, the community, to reach out to the elected officials to ensure that this handled with due diligence and respect. Remember my name. Remember their names. We won’t forget yours."

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Donovan singled out Mamaroneck, the county, Mayor Sharon Torres, Police Chief Sandra DiRuzza, CEO of Royal Coachlines Steve DiPaulo, and District Attorney Miriam Rocah. Phone calls and emails sent to village of Mamaroneck officials and the police chief, to DiPaulo and to Rocah seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Village police waiting for Westchester

Lt. Mark Gatta, the public information officer for the village police, told the USA Today Network New York last week there had been nothing to update on the investigation. He had said that police are waiting for Westchester County Police to issue their accident reconstruction report, which apparently hadn't happened.

He explained that the county police take all of the details gathered by village officers and add that to the measurements taken at the scene June 20 to piece together what happened.

In the wake of the accident, Gatta said last week, representatives from the village of the county met July 22 to review a list of "asks" put forward by residents, traffic consultants, and the police department.

"Upon completion of the meeting, both the village and the county created a list of initial action items to be completed before the start of the school year," Gatta said. "Once the list is finalized it will be presented to the Village of Mamaroneck at the next Board of Trustees meeting on Aug. 12."

Police liaison for the family?

Gatta, told of the letter early Monday, was asked if it is typical that a victim's family would have a police liaison, to talk them through what is going on with an investigation.

"Typically, yes, of some sort, but there's really nothing to communicate at the moment," Gatta said. "We do endeavor to try to keep victims and families, families of victims abreast of what is going on."

Asked if that was done in this case, Gatta said: "I'm not saying it was done or not. I don't think there was anything to communicate yet. When we have information, we share information, when we're allowed to share that information that would not jeopardize any ongoing investigations."

Peter D. Kramer is a 36-year staffer who writes long-form narratives on a variety of topics. He has written recently about an Orange County cold-case murder, about affordability and development, and breaking news. His story looking back on the Oak Street fire in Yonkers won a national Headliner Award for outstanding news specials/feature column. Reach him at pkramer@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Family in fatal Mamaroneck crosswalk crash calls for justice for mom, son who died