Hi everyone,

I never thought I would be sending a message like this, but I’m only doing so because you are all family to me. For those who may not know about the accident that occurred, I felt it was important to share.

On December 23rd, I was driving to visit my brother at the Cliffside Nursing Home in Flushing with my mom and husband. As you all know, he remains in a coma since the past two years and this visit has been part of my regular after-school routine. While traveling westbound on the Grand Central Parkway at approximately 7:49 PM, a homeless woman who had been hiding on the side of the parkway suddenly ran into the expressway. Despite my efforts to swerve and avoid her, it was already too late.

EMS, police officers, and detectives arrived at the scene. The woman was taken to Booth Memorial Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. I was required to remain at the scene until after midnight, undergoing drug and alcohol testing, physical coordination tests, and repeated questioning by multiple detectives in freezing conditions. I was finally taken to Elmhurst Hospital close to 12:30 AM and remained there until nearly 4:00 AM because I could not stop crying from the shock and trauma. During this time, my baby girl’s heart rate rose from 137 to 197.

Since the accident, my pregnancy has been affected. My baby girl is no longer in position—her head is no longer facing downward but is now underneath my chest. Being seven months pregnant, this experience has taken an emotional and physical toll on me. I didn’t have the best holidays, especially since this happened on the last day of work before break. I continue to have nightmares and flashbacks of the accident and have struggled to sleep. My OB/GYN referred me to a psychiatrist to cope with the trauma, nightmares and lack of sleep. She also put me on sleeping medication but nothing has been working.

My car was taken to the 110th Precinct in Corona for investigation and is currently with Geico for inspection. I had a car rental for 3 weeks up until January 17th but Geico only covered up to $1,500 max therefore, I no longer have any transportation to go to work besides the bus which takes me approximately an hour to get to Ridgewood and taking an Uber everyday back and forth to work is out the question given the financial circumstances. To say I’m embarrassed to be in this position would be an understatement. After speaking with a few colleagues and giving it much thought, I’ve realized that for my personal well-being and my baby girl’s safety, I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle—especially after learning that the airbags did not deploy despite the impact.

The damage to my car is a little over $10,000, and I have a $1,000 deductible. In order to trade it in, the car must be repaired first. I currently owe about $10,000 on the vehicle, as it is financed, and I know that once it is repaired, its trade-in value will decrease significantly. I am not looking to purchase anything new—just a safe and reliable car to get me back and forth to work.

If I weren’t seven months pregnant, I might feel differently, but having a car right now is essential for commuting to work and for my family.

With a lot of humility, I am asking my I.S. 93 family for help during this difficult time. Any support—whether through the GoFundMe or by sharing it—would mean more to me than I can express. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for always being such a caring and supportive community.

With gratitude,

Lissette