8 Year Old Child Killed While Riding Bicycle

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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