8 Year Old Child Killed While Riding Bicycle
Written by Boston Biker on Jun 09
Yadielys Deleon Camacho, 8, was killed after she was struck by a car.
Two young cousins were struck by a car Saturday night during a birthday celebration for their grandmother in Mattapan, leaving an 8-year-old girl dead, a 12-year-old boy injured, and a close-knit family heartbroken.
Yadielys Deleon Camacho, described as a “sweetheart,” was a second-grader at Up Academy in Dorchester, according to her family.
At the time of the crash, witnesses said, she was riding her bicycle with Joseph Eduardo Cordova, her cousin, near the 100 block of West Selden Street.
A mangled bicycle was found at the scene, according to police.
Police arrested the alleged driver of the vehicle, James Horton, 45, of Dorchester, and charged him with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident and motor vehicle homicide, said Officer Rachel McGuire, a Boston police spokeswoman. (via)
This is the second young person in as many weeks that has been killed by a hit and run driver. In the 70’s in northern Europe the killing of children by cars sparked a movement that fundamentally changed the way people used automobiles. Called the “stop murdering children” campaign, it changed forever the way the Dutch thought about how streets should be designed, and how cars should be part of society. We must do the same.
There is no acceptable level of human death in service to automobile traffic. We can not accept one single fatality because people want to drive cars around. The death of this lovely young girl is a tragedy that no one should have to abide. My deepest sympathies go out to her family.
Residents of West Selden Street say they have frequently complained about the speed of traffic on their two-way street.
Millien refuses to let his two children ride their bikes on the street. He said he limits them to riding in the backyard.
“People don’t slow down,” he said, calling for the city to install a speed bump. “There’s always a big accident.”
Millien, who has lived on the street for 13 years, said the tragedy may be the final straw for him and his family, as the frequency of car accidents has made him ready to move.
“There’s no problem with the neighbors or crime; the problem is speeding,” he said. (via)
It’s time we change our entire concept of how we allow cars into our society. No more deaths.
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By WSelden Resident on Jun 10, 2015 | Reply
According to local word, the children weren’t even riding on the street–they were on the sidewalk; the hit-and-run murderer blew past the stop sign so fast that he jumped the curb and hit them.
Not that it would be an excuse if they’d been on the street. And yes, even those of us who have no children have been asking for a speed bump for years. As you say: there is no acceptable level of human death in this.
I’m a middle-aged and out-of-shape resident who would love to start riding a bicycle around Boston whenever possible, but am just too scared by the drivers.
By DKB on Jun 11, 2015 | Reply
The Globe stories contain no statement that the girl was riding on the sidewalk, an inflammatory detail that I would expect to see if there were evidence for it. They do, however, mention that the girl was in second grade and was riding her bike at 11pm and that residents of the street complain that drivers routinely speed through there. While I sympathize for the family’s terrible loss, I feel that there must have been a gross lack of proper supervision by the adults at the party.