People who live near the Bethpage State Parkway are calling for safety measures after a fatal two-car crash.
The crash that happened last week killed 23-year-old Jordan Nasir Saint Fort Colin after a car crossed into oncoming traffic and hit his car head-on.
“It just it saddens me that people have to lose their lives, and that kid was so young,” said Lori Zebro, of Massapequa. “It was time that something needs to be done about this. A divider needs to be put up.”
The crash prompted Zebro and her daughter, Kayla Zebro, to start a petition that has collected more than 1,500 signatures as of Saturday evening.
They’re asking lawmakers to install a divider to separate oncoming traffic.
“We don't want any more tragedies in this community,” Kayla Zebro said. “It's just senseless because there could be something done to prevent it.”
The petition has the support of a family in Farmingdale who says they’ve experienced near-crashed multiple times. Lisa Castaldo and Brendan Dick say they were driving on Bethpage State Parkway last year when their dashboard camera caught a car veering into their lane. They say it’s not the first time it’s happened, and they won’t let their teenagers drive on that road because of it.
News 12 reached out to the New York State Department of Transportation. It said in a statement, “Safety is always the top priority of the New York State Department of Transportation and we are always willing to engage in discussions with our local partners about potential safety enhancements. As last week's tragic incident is the subject of a law enforcement investigation, we cannot comment further.”