HARTFORD — Remember that scene in the YouTube video? The scene shows an elderly Latino man, who was severely injured in a hit-and-run accident and left on the street by disinterested passers-by.
That was local activist Angel Arce’s father, Angel Arce Torres. Torres, 78, was killed in hit-and-run incident on Park Street in 2008. A security camera on Park Street happened to record the incident, which lead to the arrest of the driver, Luis Negron, who was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison.
On Thursday Arce joined city officials pressure the General Assembly to pass a bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven). The bill would permit cities with 60,00 or more people to enact local laws to install red light cameras at designated intersections.
Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra joined officials from Hartford Hospital outdoors at an intersection where multiple hospital employees have been struck by cars and killed in recent years.
The group called for new state legislation that would permit cities like Hartford to install red light traffic cameras to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Fonfara said this move will allow the use of technology to fight crime in traditional ways and make the community safer.
Segarra agreed, saying that “the red light camera legislation is not about fining violators – it’s about implementing a measure that could potentially save lives.”
According to the Federal Highway Commission, red-light running kills 1,000 people and injures 165,000 a year nationally at a cost of $230 billion. Over the last 20 years, on average, more than 5,000 pedestrians were killed across the United States in motor vehicle-related accidents.
On March 27, 2010, Robert Suljoti of Wethersfield was about to begin his first day of work at Hartford Hospital as an employee in the hospital’s environmental services unit. He had already completed a week’s worth of training, and was walking in to begin his first official day of work.
Around 6 a.m., he attempted to cross Retreat Avenue—Hartford Hospital lies just on the other side—when he was struck and killed by an oncoming car. The hit-and-run driver then fled the scene, and his car was found crashed on Maxim Road. Marcus Hodge pleaded guilty to the crime last October, and faces up to 15 years in prison.
Only months later, two more traffic accidents occurred on the same road. First, a patient was struck by a car while crossing the street in a wheelchair. Then a second Hartford Hospital employee, Sandra Hoyle, was killed when a speeding vehicle struck her car.
A police investigation found that the driver, Hector Rodriguez, was speeding westbound on Retreat Avenue and ran a red light before crashing into Hoyle’s car at the intersection of Retreat Avenue and Seymour Street, the location of today’s press conference.
“We’ve lost people who meant a great deal to us. And we owe it to their memories to make Retreat Avenue a safer place,” said Jeff Flaks, Hartford Hospital President and CEO. “Safety is one of our core values.”
Arce knows first hand the meaning of such values.
“Red light cameras will help to stop traffic violations and save lives. It is because of cameras that police were able to find the man who killed my father,’ Arce said. “Although it took them longer to find all the evidence needed for trial, they were able to at least identify the perpetrator within two weeks.”
