Former Woodbridge Resident Killed Crossing Street In NYC

WOODBRIDGE, CT — Sarah Foster, 27, who was a former Woodbridge resident and who attended Hamden Hall Country Day School was killed in a tragic accident in New York City on Friday, according to reports.

Foster was a sixth-grade teacher in Harrison, New York, who was hit and killed by a truck as she crossed the street in New York City Friday morning. Foster was a social studies teacher at Louis M. Klein Middle School.

"Sarah was an extraordinarily warm, talented and dedicated young teacher," school Superintendent Louis Wool said in a letter to the community. "During her time in Harrison, her contributions as a teacher, colleague, and coach were far-reaching. It will be Sarah’s enthusiasm and joy for learning and for life, evident in all that she did, that will remain with all of those she touched. We extend our deepest condolences to Sarah’s family."

Steven McDermott, 51, was driving a truck northbound on Third Avenue, when he attempted to turn left on E. 37th St. and hit Foster, police said. The Murray Hill resident was declared dead at the scene by emergency services shortly after 5:45 a.m. Police believe Foster was crossing E. 37th St. heading northbound.

McDermott, of Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, police said.

The NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad's investigation is ongoing.
Wool said the school community was notified in the morning.

"A message was sent to parents earlier today, and students were informed by their teachers," he said. "Psychological and counseling services were made available immediately to students, teachers, and staff. They will remain available throughout the weekend and into next week. A schedule of those services was sent to middle school parents."

Following the incident, Transportation Alternatives called for pedestrian refuges, protected intersections, and a traffic fix known as "daylighting," which involves removing parking spaces to improve turn visibility, along the six-lane avenue. The transportation advocacy group said had the Department of Transportation installed the "simple, commonsense, low-cost improvements," Foster would have been alive today.

"Third Avenue is a six-lane highway running through a pedestrian-dense and largely residential part of Manhattan, with no visible traffic-calming measures in place," interim executive director of TA, Ellen McDermott, said in a statement.

"Drivers of large vehicles and professional working drivers, like the truck driver who killed this 27-year-old, bear a great responsibility to travel with caution in crowded urban environments," McDermott said. "But the best way to force every driver to travel with care is to design streets that mandate safe behavior. As a nearby resident, this crash is a terrifying wake-up call. It's long past time for Mayor de Blasio to make Third Avenue safe, before another New Yorker is killed or injured."

A Department of Transportation spokesperson said the department has a proactive program of redesigning streets to reduce tragedies.

"As with all locations where a fatal crash occurs, DOT will evaluate the design of the street and the circumstances of the crash in order to improve the safety of that location," a DOT spokesperson said.

Written by By Lanning Taliaferro, Patch Staff. Patch Editor Sydney Pereira contributed to this report.