Changes proposed for Stamford road after pastor's death
People in Stamford are reeling from the death of Rev. Tommie Jackson last week. He was hit and killed by a Stamford police car on Wire Mill Road on its way to an emergency.
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People in Stamford are demanding changes to a dangerous country road north of the Merritt Parkway following the death of a beloved pastor there.
"Nobody should ever die trying to cross the street anywhere let alone right in front of their house trying to get their mail," said Chris Dawson, with People Friendly Stamford.
People in Stamford are reeling from the death of Rev. Tommie Jackson last week. He was hit and killed by a Stamford police car on Wire Mill Road on its way to an emergency.
MORE: Grief and disbelief: Life of Rev. Tommie Jackson celebrated during Sunday service
Dawson wants to see better safety measures on the windy and narrow road.
"Probably the biggest issue is the behavior of the drivers. Driving too fast, driving distracted," says Dawson.
MORE: 'Once in a lifetime of a person.' Community remembers pastor struck and killed by Stamford police
At a meeting of the city's Vision Zero Task Force on Tuesday, members brought up the idea of installing speed bumps on Wire Mill Road, cutting back some of the brush for visibility, moving some of the mailboxes to the other side of the street and ramping up speed enforcement.
"We are reassessing and relooking at the 2020 safety assessment that was conducted on Wire Mill Road," says Mayor Caroline Simmons.
Simmons says she is committed to the goal of zero pedestrian fatalities in Stamford by 2032. That comes with a warning from people who live here.
"I would encourage them that as they're driving they focus on the fact that they're driving a 5–6-ton vehicle and it is a lethal weapon," says Dawson.
State police are continuing to investigate the accident.
Funeral services for Jackson will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Union Baptist Church in Stamford.
