Boy's Death Spurs Safety Discussions With Towns

HELENA - After a 6-year-old Amish boy was struck and killed by a motor vehicle Monday afternoon on the Bombay-Helena Road, officials in Brasher, Bombay and the Salmon River School District say they are prepared to address concerns about traffic safety as more Amish families move into the area.

Brasher Town Supervisor M. James Dawson said he is willing to talk with representatives from the neighboring town of Bombay about working to address some of the issues that have arisen since Monday's fatal car-pedestrian accident on County Route 37, approximately 500 feet from the boundary separating St. Lawrence and Franklin counties.

"We can work with the Bombay Town Board to jointly request the Franklin and St. Lawrence County highway departments to investigate the speed limit on the Helena-Bombay Road and then they would take their findings to the state Department of Transportation. It then goes to the state police, and they take it from there," Mr. Dawson said.

Mr. Dawson said the town board talked earlier this year with Highway Superintendent Larry Hewlett about asking the county to put additional signage on the roadway warning motorists of the horse and buggy traffic on the highway. "More and more of their folks are moving into the area," the Brasher town supervisor said Tuesday.

Bombay Town Supervisor Mary Frances E. Taylor said she plans to ask members of the town council to consider working with her to organize a meeting with members of the town's Amish community to discuss safety concerns, as well as any other ways the town can work with its new residents.

"We haven't discussed it at this point, but I think it's something we should do," she said. "And not only because of this tragedy. I think it would be helpful if we all better understood each other's needs. It would make us all better neighbors."

Ms. Taylor said she is also considering asking the town council if it would consider requesting a reduced speed limit on its portion of Bombay-Helena Road, County Route 9 in Franklin County.

"We have to consider all options when it comes to safety," she said.

Salmon River Central School District Superintendent Jane A. Collins said she mentioned traffic safety during her opening address to district employees when they returned to school on Thursday.

"We all feel very sad about the death of the Amish boy who lives on Bombay-Helena Road," Ms. Collins said. "In our annual meeting, when we welcome back the faculty and staff, I talked about the changes in our school community over the year. This district - this area - has a long history of agriculture, and we're used to sharing the roads with tractors and wagons, and farm machinery.

"In the past year, some 40 families - 40 Amish families - have moved into Bombay, Westville and Fort Covington. The Amish use of the horse and buggy is really no different than children walking along the road, a person riding a bike, or a tractor and a wagon. The bottom line is people have to use caution."

Ms. Collins also said the community is happy to have its new neighbors, who have brought life to a number of acres of unused farm land. But she said safety has to be a priority for all parties involved.

"The Salmon River District is a great community," she said. "We're happy to work with anyone involved to promote safety. Our children are our most precious gift."

Helena Volunteer Fire Department Chief Frank W. Burns, speaking at the scene of the car-pedestrian accident early Monday evening, had said the tragedy underscored the need to improve communications with the Amish families moving into the area as well as to upgrade signage to alert motorists about the horse and buggy, as well as pedestrian, traffic in the area.

Amish community members have indicated another 50 families are expected to move into the Helena-Bombay area in the coming months.

Ryne R. Martin contributed to this report.