EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — Brutell Dandridge is disappointed and appalled that more traffic safety improvements haven't been made along Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland nearly four years after his sister was killed as she tried to cross the busy state route in 2019.
Dandridge said the December 2019 car-pedestrian accident which claimed the life of his sister, 36-year-old Terra Nolden, involved a suspended driver who hit his sister as she attempted to walk across a section of Euclid Avenue where the traffic light had been taken down due to an on-going street project.
Dandridge told News 5 that the State of Ohio replaced the traffic light and pledged to improve Euclid Avenue traffic safety in East Cleveland after the tragic accident.
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“When the Governor was out, he assured me he would have this problem fixed, and that came from Mike DeWine himself," Dandridge said.
“It's safe for people in suburban neighborhoods to travel and cross the street, do it in the poor neighborhoods as well, they have kids and schools, where my sister was hit was right by the school."
Dandridge said he's appalled that all the speed limit signs have been removed along the heavily traveled section of Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland, and newly installed crosswalks near the public library still have not had the crossing lights activated.
“You all can take down a memorial for my sister who lost her life, but you can’t get power for people to be safe crossing the street," Dandridge said. “Whether it’s a rich community or poor community, they still have a right to live and be safe where they live.”
News 5 contacted the Ohio Department of Transportation, which installed the new crosswalks, and it said it's also frustrated the crosswalks lights are not up and running. ODOT said it's still waiting for FirstEnergy to make final electrical connections before it can get both Euclid Avenue crosswalks up and running.
News 5 also contacted First Energy about the crosswalk delays, and it responded immediately and issued the following statement:
We understand crosswalks serve a purpose to keep pedestrians safe in the communities we serve. We're actively addressing voltage concerns at the new East Cleveland crosswalk locations and working with ODOT to identify equipment changes necessary for proper activation. We know this is an urgent matter and have resources engaged to expedite the activation process and ensure a safer community for everyone.
FirstEnergy said it hopes to complete electrical connections at the crosswalks within the next week.
News 5 also made multiple calls to the East Cleveland Mayor's office and the police department about the missing speed limit signs, but we're still waiting for a response.
News 5 will follow through on this developing story.
Meanwhile, Dandridge is demanding more safety improvements be made on Euclid Avenue before anyone else is seriously hurt or killed.
“You have multiple schools in this little stretch, a high school, an elementary school and these children have to play chicken to cross the street to get home," Dandridge said. "They say we’re trying to get this project done, it’s ODOT’s fault and ODOT says it’s not our fault it’s the electric company’s fault, no it’s all of your all fault.”
