A car accident on Beach Road by North High School in Great Neck left no one injured on Wednesday morning but highlighted concerns about safety in the area.
Nassau County police said a car flipped over on Beach Road at 8:28 a.m., but there were no serious injuries.
Police did not give details about the number of occupants in the car.
Ruth Gebay, a Beach Road resident and frequent critic of the proposed parking lot to be built nearby, said she received multiple calls about the incident and got text pictures about the incident. A student was speeding before crashing leading to the car flipping, she said.
Gebay said she fears the parking lot could add “100 plus cars to the mix” and, in light of the accident said that school board trustees should “halt this parking lot” and students should use the spacious Parkwood parking lot instead.
“My heart goes out to her and her family for prayers for a speedy recovery. Hopefully she will be well,” Gebay said via email. “Can you imagine if the many students walking to school were injured by her?”
Photos show the car sitting on its hood and the air bags deployed.
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, another resident of Beach Road, said the parking lot wouldn’t be the problem – instead, it would be a solution for students who for years have raced and competed for the few spots available for them, increasing the risk of accidents.
“If you add 90 spaces in the parking lot, there’s no competition anymore for that because the parking lot gives you direct access to the school,” Wiesenfeld said.
He also noted most students driving need cars for jobs, asking students to walk half a mile in the cold is not realistic, the school district plans to shield homeowners via landscaping and drainage plans, and the construction will clean up damage from recent microbursts and storms.
Editor’s note: This article previously stated, incorrectly, that Ruth Gebay was a witness to the accident. She said she had family members at home, received multiple calls, and got many text pictures of the incident. A previous version of the article also stated that the driver was texting. This could not be verified.
Jeffrey Weisenfeld is asleep if he thinks kids driving $100k plus cars to school need them for after school jobs. I can’t take that comment seriously. The operative statements here are SPEEDING and TEXTING. Strange how before there was even student parking at all, somehow kids were still able to get to High School….
First of all, the student involved does not have their own car, the car involved belongs to the parents, and is used by the student to get to and from school, and their after-school job. Secondly, just because someone stated the student was texting and/or speeding doesn’t mean that it is true. Making judgements based off stereotypes and lies can damage a person’s reputation forever. Be careful with what you say.
Wiesenfeld doesn’t realize that even with more spots the kids will still arrive at 7:58-8:02. The traffic is from kids arriving late. If everyone arrives late, they still must race to class. He’s out of touch.
I was witness to this accident, and I’d just like to state that the accusation that the driver was texting and speeding is completely false. This was a very unfortunate accident but to suggest that students walk all the way from Parkwood on a daily basis is far from fair.
Don’t talk about my best friend like that, I can assure you she was not texting and driving and ur statement is false.
As a student and good friend of the driver, I can assure you that the accusation that the driver was speeding or texting is false. This article should have been fact checked before being published.
Hi everyone. Thank you for your comments. I was working with the information that was available to me at the time during production of the paper. That being said, you are welcome to give me a call at (516) 307-1045 ext. 203 so I can incorporate your comments into the updated story.
Ruth Gebay should be ashamed of herself. She has stated complete lies as facts, and is using this unfortunate event as an opportunity to push her own agenda against the potential new parking lot. Multiple witnesses stated there was no foul play, no texting, no speeding. This accident was simply that, an accident. People should have compassion for those involved, instead of trying to make them feel worse after experiencing something that is already traumatizing enough.
Ruth Gebay, shame on you for blatantly lying and capitalizing on a traumatizing accident to push your own agenda. This was a one-off freak accident, with multiple eyewitnesses confirming there was no speeding or texting involved. Trying to ruin a young girl’s reputation for your own selfish motives is outright disgusting, and you should be ashamed of yourself. How do you sleep at night?
Janelle Clausen, please work on your fact-checking – printing these quotes are akin to libel.
Wishing all the best for a speedy recovery to the driver.
Half a mile is nothing! I walk two miles just to go to the library in 16 degrees weather! If it is cold outside, wear snow pants! We don’t need a parking lot for these privileged students! Make them walk! Fresh air will do them good!
If this had been an elderly driver, they would either have their license revoked or forced to retake their road-test. Same should be done here.
Adding 100 more student parking spots means even MORE students will come barrelling down the road. What a waste of taxpayer money. The current board of ed members should be ashamed of themselves, wasting money when the Parkwood lot is a couple of blocks away.