In an incident in Spring Valley, a 4-year-old girl lost her life to a suspected drunk driving crash that also left three others injured. CBS New York reports that the collision occurred on Old Nyack Turnpike near Zachary Court last Saturday evening, as a 31-year-old man accompanied by three children—ages 5, 4, and 2—were walking on a sidewalk after leaving a park. The driver involved has been identified as 41-year-old Axel Lopez-Santiago, who police suspect may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time. By walking on a sidewalk as they left a park, a driver hit the group of pedestrians.
Further details from CBS New York reveal that following the impact, the vehicle became disabled, trapping Lopez-Santiago inside. All the victims and the driver were subsequently taken to local hospitals. Senator Bill Weber identified the deceased 4-year-old girl as Goldy Eisenbach, who was the daughter of Spring Valley Village Trustee Yisroel Eisenbach. While the young girl succumbed to her injuries a few hours later, the adult male suffered life-threatening injuries, and the 5-year-old boy faced serious injuries. The condition of the 2-year-old boy involved was not made immediately clear.
Lopez-Santiago is now facing multiple serious charges, including DWI and aggravated vehicular homicide with a previous DWI conviction. He was arraigned yesterday, with bail set at $750,000 cash, according to the report provided by CBS New York.
The local community has voiced serious concerns about pedestrian safety in the area. In an interview with News 12, a Spring Valley educator remarked, "Spring Valley has a lot of children in the community and there's no regard for them…There's all these kids playing on the sidewalk and all these cars flying by. No regard for children." Jackie Renwick expressed a similar concern, saying, "Kids have died. There are so many being hit. At a certain point, someone has to say, 'Come on. Do something,'" emphasizing the urgent need for action following repeated incidents.
