Parents of infant killed in jitney accident sue driver, owner
The parents of an infant killed in an accident involving a jitney are suing the driver and the owner of the jitney.
Eight-month-old Angelie Paredes was in her stroller on July 30 when a jitney jumped the curb on Boulevard East in West New York and knocked down a lamppost onto the stroller, killing the child. The driver was charged with reckless driving and death by auto.
Since then Angelie’s parents, who are North Bergen residents, have advocated for regulations on jitney operators to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen to others.
Now they have filed a lawsuit against the driver of the jitney involved in the accident, as well as the company that employed him and owned the vehicle. According to reports, the lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages and claims that the driver was speeding and using his cell phone at the time of the crash.
Legally, jitneys were exempt from regulations imposed on buses and other forms of transportation. As a result of the accident, local and state officials drafted a law imposing stronger regulations on jitney owners and drivers. The law, passed earlier this year, is known as “Angelie’s Law.”
The law provides stricter guidelines for owners and operators, penalties for violations, and creates a telephone hotline for complaints. It specifically bars drivers from several unsafe practices including using a cell phone while behind the wheel.
Additional components of the law will allow authorities to draw blood samples from drivers involved in serious accidents.
A framed copy of the law was presented to Angelie’s parents at a ceremony in North Bergen Town Hall on Jan. 30, exactly six months after the accident.
Upcoming events at the North Bergen Library
A diabetes and nutrition informational event will be held on March 12 at 7 p.m. This informative seminar by Hilda Hernandez-Sepulveda, RN, BSN, CDE is made possible by the Hispanic Outreach Program and Holy Name Medical Center for Wellness Wednesdays. It will be held at the library main branch at 8411 Bergenline Ave.
Author Joan L. Ramirez will debut her new children’s book titled “Jamie Is Autistic: Learning in a Special New Way” on Tuesday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. at the library main branch.
Library Director Sai Rao announced that the library’s Kennedy Branch will be hosting its first annual Dr. Seuss Celebration in honor of Read Across America on Friday, March 14 at 4:30 p.m. The public is invited for an evening of stories and entertainment. That branch is located at 2123 Kennedy Blvd.
For more information on any of these events visit www.nbpl.org or call (201) 869-4715.
Free tax preparation services for senior citizens and disabled residents
North Bergen residents age 55 or over OR in possession of proof of disability, with yearly income below $55,000 are eligible. Residents must bring identification, Social Security card, tax documents and 2012 tax return. A certified Public Accountant (CPA) will provide free tax preparation services for senior citizens and disabled residents until April 15.
Preparation is by appointment only. Call (201) 364-9022 for an appointment.
Sessions will be held on Tuesdays from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the North Bergen Library main branch; Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. in the North Bergen Library Kennedy branch; and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. in Lawlor Tower, 6121-6131 Grand Ave.
Albert Einstein revealed on March 11
Visit the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) Science Center on Tuesday, March 11 to learn 20 things about this most amazing man of the twentieth century. Was Einstein slow in learning how to speak? Where is his brain? Whom did he flirt with? Meadowlands Environment Center educator Dr. Victoria Madden will provide the answers to these and many more questions about the famous scientist. This free, all-ages event will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. Registration is recommended and appreciated. The NJMC Science Center is at 3 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. Phone number (201) 460-8300. To register visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec
Palisades Medical Center providing free community health screenings
The following is a schedule of Palisades Medical Center’s free health screenings that will be held in local communities in the coming months. For more information, call Joanne Riggs at (201) 854-5793.
St. Mary’s Church, 252 Second Street, Jersey City
March 9 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Free screenings and information on blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of oxygen in the blood, peak flow/respiratory, and Body Mass Index (BMI)
Grove Reformed Church, 1132 46th Street, North Bergen
March 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Free screenings and information on blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of oxygen in the blood, peak flow/respiratory, Body Mass Index (BMI), breast exams, and eye exams
Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, 7615 Broadway, North Bergen
March 23 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Free screenings and information on blood pressure, heart rate, percentage of oxygen in the blood, peak flow/respiratory, and Body Mass Index (BMI)
Hackensack Riverkeeper accepting scholarship applications for local high school seniors
Hackensack Riverkeeper is accepting applications for the 2014 Ron Vellekamp Environmental Scholarship. Now in its fourteenth year, the program was created to support college-bound high school seniors who excel academically while demonstrating a strong commitment to the natural world and environmental protection.
All applicants who apply must either live within the 210-square mile Hackensack River Watershed or attend a school located within that region. North Bergen and Secaucus are eligible municipalities, along with certain parts of Jersey City, Bayonne, and Union City.
Teachers and guidance counselors are invited to submit applications on behalf of deserving students, and each school may nominate one student. A panel of Hackensack Riverkeeper trustees and staffers led by Captain Bill Sheehan and Program Director Hugh Carola will review each application. The panel will consider the applicant’s academic achievements, environmental extra-curricular activities and future plans. The $1,000 scholarship is unrestricted and can be used for any required purchases during the student’s first year at college.
Full scholarship application criteria are available online at www.hackensackriverkeeper.org or by calling (201) 968-0808. Applications must be postmarked no later than Earth Day, April 22, 2014. The winner will be chosen no later than June 1.
The late Ronald Vellekamp was a science teacher in Ridgefield, New Jersey. During his life he also served as a Palisades Interstate Park ranger and Boy Scout leader, and was a founding trustee of Hackensack Riverkeeper. The scholarship that bears his name is fitting tribute to an educator whose life was lived in the service of others.