By Gabrielle Cajas SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced that he will send a formal request to the state Department of Transportation asking for a review of the lighting on Interstate 690.
This request comes after the fatal crash involving Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim. Law enforcement officials mentioned how how the lack of lighting contributed to the crash that killed 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez last Wednesday night.
Jimenez was in a car that hit a guide rail on I-690 in the eastbound lanes and spun out. Jimenez got out of the car and scrambled to get off the highway. Driving east, Boeheim struck Jimenez as the coach swerved to avoid hitting the disabled car, police said.
There are no streetlamps on this part of the highway where the crash occurred.
Syracuse Chief Police Buckner said Boeheim used the flashlight on his phone to flag down drivers, to avoid hitting the broken down car on the road.
“It’s not presuming a problem, it’s just that, in light of the tragedy, it’s something we should look at,” Walsh said.
The Department of Transportation said the state will review the request. The director of communications for the DOT said the state adds lighting to roads when a local municipality demonstrates a need for it.
