Justice in Memoriam

After Lauren Davis was killed bicycling on Classon Avenue in Brooklyn in April, her sister Danielle started a petition for a bike lane there. In July, Matthew von Ohlen’s parents demanded a protected bike lane after their son was killed in the unprotected lane on Grand Street. The family of Giovanni Nin spoke up for fixing East Tremont Avenue in the Bronx after a driver killed their son there in June. Remarkable bravery isn’t a typical candidate for a trend-piece, but the families of crash victims are increasingly seeking justice — and finding some recompense. Recently, Franci Brenner’s activism convinced a judge to bar the woman who killed her son Matthew from driving in New York State, and Hank Miller’s vocal opposition persuaded the Brooklyn District Attorney to up charges against the driver who killed his sister Victoria from a traffic infraction to felony manslaughter.