SCHOOL BUS HORROR
B’klyn girl, 10, mowed down while crossing street with her older brother
A careless driver’s school bus mowed down and killed a 10-year-old girl Tuesday as she walked to school with her big brother, who was left stunned and injured on the bloody Brooklyn street, police said.
Young Patience Heaven Albert and her 15-year-old brother were in the crosswalk at Wortman Ave. and Crescent St. in East New York when she was hit by the bus about 6:45 a.m., officials and witnesses said.
She was one of four pedestrians killed by vehicles in the city in a 48-hour stretch.
Cops said bus driver Pedro Colon, 61, of Glendale, Queens, was making a right turn from Crescent St. onto Wortman Ave. when he struck Patience. No children were on the school bus, officials said.
Colon, who remained at the scene, was arrested, but not before the victim’s anguished father lashed out at the bus driver, who was still seated behind the wheel.
“I’m going to f—k him up!” the heartbroken dad screamed as he charged the bus, witnesses said.
“Cops were holding him back,” said witness Trevor Tolliver. “He had a mixture of rage and sadness. He was ready to kill the driver.”
The girl’s panicked parents arrived at the scene as medics were working on their unconscious child, who suffered devastating head and body injuries, witnesses said.
Her brother, Marzae Albert, 15, whose leg was injured, was seated in an ambulance, looking stunned, Tolliver said.
“The mother was hysterical. She was crying,” Tolliver said. “She was freaking out. She wasn’t saying anything except, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God!’ ”
The overwrought mom then turned away from the bloody scene, Tolliver said.
“She looked like she didn’t want to see it,” he said.
Medics rushed Patience to Brookdale University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Colon was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. He was issued a summons to appear in court at a later date and released.
Hours later Marzae, whose ankle was fractured in the incident, left the hospital on crutches with his parents.
“I’m angry. He killed my sister,” the teen said about the driver.
Marzae said nothing about his injury.
“I was more worried about my sister than about myself,” he said.
Earlier, family members and friends of the victim walked to the scene and lit candles. The mother cried hysterically; the father sobbed and screamed.
A cardboard shrine shielded the candles from the rain. Supporters shared their grief with notes written on the box.
“We love you baby,” one note said.
“Kiss God for us” said another.
Nijia Li, the victim’s godmother and family friend, read a statement on behalf of the parents in front of their house:
“It is with our deepest sorrow that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Patience Heaven Albert. Patience was a happy, beautiful 10-year-old girl. Patience was funny and extremely
smart. She loved school and wanted to be a veterinarian. Patience comes from a loving family, with both parents nurturing and providing for her. She was loved by her classmates, and the community. ”
Laquisha Robinson, 25, one of Patience’s aunts, said her niece was “very happy and outgoing, very respectful.”
When told the driver was in police custody, Robinson, said: “Good. And he should stay there.”
Cops said the driver passed a sobriety test.
Colon, who was operating a bus contracted by the city’s Education Department, has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of an investigation, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said.
A representative for Quality Transportation Co., the bus operator, expressed condolences to the victim’s family.
“We are actively working with the police as they continue their investigation,” the representative said in a statement.
The company operated 234 bus routes for public school students as of last June, city data show. Between January and June 2019, the company received four safety-related complaints, city records show. Misconduct was found by the Office of Pupil Transportation in each case, resulting in warnings, the data show.
Counselors were brought to Patience’s school, Achievement First Linden Elementary, a charter school.
“We are devastated and heartbroken to learn that an Achievement First student has passed away,” said Amanda Pinto, a school spokeswoman.
“Our students and staff are receiving counseling support from our schools across the network as well as the New York City Department of Education as we deal with this awful news. She will be deeply missed by all of us, and our hearts are with her family.”
“This is devastating, and my heart goes out to the family and school community,” Carranza said in a statement. “We are providing all support necessary during this difficult time.”
Patience was one of four pedestrians killed by vehicles since Sunday, including Dolores Soho, 88, who was struck and killed by a turning truck Sunday afternoon just two blocks from her Queens home.
Pedestrian Jose Contla was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Brooklyn on Sunday as he was on his way home from work.
On Monday, a 59-year-old woman was struck by a car at a Bronx intersection.
Patience’s death marks the 20th pedestrian killed by a vehicle in the city this year, two more than on the same date last year, according to city data.
“During today’s tragic death, neighbors mentioned that the area in which the incident occurred had no traffic lights,” said Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (DManhattan).
He urged the city Transportation Department to “release an assessment looking into the conditions at intersections.”
“This crash could have been prevented,” said Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Danny Harris. “At present, New York City has built and continues to invest in a transportation system that prioritizes moving traffic instead of protecting human life.”
The city saw at least 218 traffic deaths last year, including 121 pedestrians. Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero plan seeks to eliminate all “preventable” traffic deaths in the city by 2024 through measures including street redesigns, tougher laws and stepped-up enforcement on drivers.
De Blasio said in a tweet that “no family should have to suffer something like this,” adding: “A full investigation is underway. We won’t rest until the streets around every single school are safe for our kids.”