Following up on our story “Car Collisions Outside of High School Raise Safety Concerns” (Volume XCIV,  Issue 3, Page 1) tragedy once again struck the Pelham community on January 16 when off-duty NYPD officer Brian Kessler was killed in a two-car collision. The crash occurred on Shore Road in Pelham Bay as Kessler was returning to his home in New Rochelle. He was 28 years old.

Kessler had recently finished his night shift when he collided head-on with a Parks Department truck containing two workers. According to several reports, the roads were icy at the time of the crash, which caused his vehicle to swerve into the truck. Police arrived at the scene around 8:30 a.m. and rushed Kessler to Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, where he was pronounced dead.

Kessler joined the force in April of 2018. He served as a member of the Housing Bureau for three months and worked in Police Service Area 8. …..Thousands of vehicles per day use Shore Road to travel between the Bronx and Westchester. In August of 2018, a $1.48 million topographical and traffic study was launched in an attempt to make Shore Road safer for driving. The project is expected to be finished by November of 2019.

This accident followed on the heels of vehicular accidents that affected a middle school student and a parent. The school district has been active in preventing recurrence of such accidents. On February 24 Superintendent Champ and the Board of Education issued a reminder about traffic safety in which they reminded students and residents of the safest ways to drop-off pupils during high-traffic periods. Among the advice they shared were warnings to be aware of one’s surroundings at all times, to make eye contact with drivers and crossing guards when crossing streets and intersections and never assume that you are seen, and especially to not use cell phones or other electronic devices while you are driving or walking. Even a moment when your eyes are not on the road or on an oncoming car can make a big difference.