View of Milbank Avenue near the senior housing complex where two pedestrians have been killed in the last two years / Image courtesy of Google Maps


Eight days into the new year, 77-year old Elizabeth Deering was using the Milbank Avenue crosswalk by the senior housing complex in which she lived when a vehicle driven by an unnamed 43-year-old driver struck her.

She was not the first pedestrian casualty of 2020.

Before her preventable death, Deering lived quite a life, serving as a nanny in the Manhattan and Greenwich area for fifty years, experience that indicates she was no amateur when it comes to crossing roadways.

According to her obituary, “she was born with a severe cleft palate and endured a number of operations as a child to correct her condition. She grew up in an orphanage in Ireland and went on to train as a professional nanny. She eventually moved to the United States, where she became an American citizen and was proud to vote in every election. Although she had only an eighth grade education, Elizabeth became highly sought after as a ‘Mary Poppins’ of nannies due to her special connection with children and animals.”

When not working, she was giving volunteer care to premature babies in a neonatal unit.

There is a 25 MPH speed limit where she was hit. The crosswalk she was using is brightly painted and is given extra attention with yellow yield- signs.

Deering’s obituary says: “She is survived by the many children whom she cared for and the families who loved her.”

The collision happened during a snow squall — the same conditions when the other pedestrian, also a resident at the same senior housing complex, was killed in that crosswalk two years ago. The town of Greenwich is responding to these deaths by looking to improve street lighting and other infrastructure, which is a start, but with drivers averaging 34  MPH — well over the limit — attention should be devoted to lowering those speeds.

On January 1, in a completely different part of the state, Daniel Zumpe was killed while crossing Broad Street in Manchester.

Born in Connecticut, Zumpe spent time also living in New York, England, and Germany. The Manchester resident was a sports guy, with his teams (Patriots, Celtics, and Yankees) getting a shout out in his obituary.

A pickup truck driven by a 69-year old Ellington resident struck Zumpe at 11:53 AM, when there were no adverse weather conditions.

Just days later, a 50-year-old male who has not yet been publicly identified, was hit and killed at 695 Ella Grasso Boulevard in New Haven. It was just after 7 PM when this collision occurred. As with the previous fatalities, the driver who crashed into him remained on the scene, and if any charges have been filed, these have not been made public.

This area of roadway is wanting improvement. Different legs of the intersection have as many as five lanes. There is a painted crosswalk, but no medians or pedestrian signals.

On January 21, 66-year old Maria Oltheten, from Vernon’s Hockanum Boulevard, was killed by a 2016 Honda Civic driven by a 44-year old Middletown man. Oltheten was born in Indonesia and moved to the United States around 60 years ago. She earned a college degree, going on to work for the State of Connecticut’s Department of Rehabilitation Services. Her obituary describes her as having been a devout Catholic who loved her family.

She was crossing Talcottville Avenue (Route 83) at Hockanum Boulevard when hit at 9:18 PM. There are no pedestrian signals at this excessively wide stretch of road. Talcottville Road has meager sidewalks; Hocknaum Boulevard has none at the intersection, though they resume later down the road, forcing those traveling by foot to either walk in the street or on an uneven, unpaved surface. As of yet, no charges were filed against the driver.

The very next day, in New Haven, a 55-year old male was killed at 383 Whalley Avenue. There are two lanes of traffic in each direction; there is no median, nor bumpouts. The man, whose identity has still not been made known, was crossing at 7:39 PM. It was not reported if this driver has been charged.

Following this man’s death, a Safe Streets New Haven meeting drew around 50 people, several of whom pointed to speeding, poor infrastructure, and a lack of enforcement as causes for pedestrian collisions.

January 23, 2020 at noon, Valda Dienavs, was crossing the street to check her mailbox on Griswold Street in Glastonbury.

Dienavs, 84, was born in Riga, Latvia. Before retiring, she was an underwriter for Patrons Mutual Insurance Company, based in Glastonbury. According to her obituary, “She loved gardening and was a gourmet cook. Valda was devoted to her family, especially her grandchildren.”

She was struck crossing a street she must’ve crossed 10,000 times while living there. This is a residential street with a posted speed limit of 25 MPH.

Unlike the other fatal pedestrian collisions to this date in 2020, this driver fled the scene without offering assistance or taking responsibility. Later, the police would recover in Glastonbury the vehicle that struck Dienavs. The media reports that cops have been questioning a 17-year old girl, who we can assume was the driver, but as of yet, no charges have been issued.

View of Hamilton Avenue where Larry Kosterich was struck / Image courtesy of Google Maps


But wait, this is not the end to the avoidable and senseless carnage in January 2020.

The day after Ms. Dienavs was hit and killed, another pedestrian was struck in Greenwich. Larry Kosterich, age 85, died from complications after a 1998 Toyota 4-Runner driven by a 24-year old woman hit him near a restaurant on Hamilton Avenue at 6:25 PM. Despite a number of businesses along the 2-lane road, there are very few marked crosswalks in the area. There is no word if the driver, who remained on the scene, will be charged.

On January 29, 66-year old Leonard James of Meriden was driving when he spotted a can or bottle along the side of the road. He pulled over, got out of his vehicle, and went to pick it up for redemption. On the way back to his vehicle, he was struck by a Subaru Forester driven by a Meriden man, the same age.

According to James’ obituary, “This selfless gentleman worked for 31 years at the same High School from which he graduated. Leonard was well known for his recycling efforts. He would enjoy the profits from his efforts by paying it forward to family and friends in need.” His loss will be felt by his wife, great-grandchildren, and a number of other loved ones.

As of publication, no charges have been filed against the driver who remained on the scene. Yale Avenue at Old Yale Avenue in Wallingford is a flat and straight, two-lane road lacking painted crosswalks. James was hit at 3:35 PM.

In sum, eight pedestrians were killed by motorists in Connecticut during the month of January, and to date, no charges have been filed against any of the motor vehicle operators. Victims ranged in age from 43 to 85. There is no indication that any of the motorists were operating stolen vehicles.

In Greenwich and New Haven, conversations about pedestrian infrastructure followed, but it is unclear if similar talks are happening in Vernon (another pedestrian was killed on Route 83 in November 2018), or Wallingford (in May 2019 a cyclist was killed by a motorist who was driving under the influence on South Turnpike Road), or Manchester (where in November 2019 one man was killed at Center/Route6/44 and Linden Streets, and another was killed at Hartford Road and Fairfield Street).

All images in this post are screenshots from Google Maps. First image shows 695 Ella Grasso Boulevard in New Haven, where a 50-year old man was struck and killed in January 2020.