ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – As family and friends of 22-year-old Seth Truax continue to grieve his sudden loss, they’re also calling for changes on the road where he was hit and killed around 2 a.m. on Sunday. Tuesday afternoon, Elmira Police confirmed the victim’s identity. Police say the investigation is ongoing. The driver has been identified but has not been charged yet.
“It has claimed so many lives in this area. I don’t know what the answer is, but you got a highway going through town,” said a woman at a vigil for Truax on Monday night, that was attended by dozens of people. His stepmother and his brother echoed the sentiment.
“We also want to say that this is not just in Seth’s memory. This is in the memory of everyone, all the lives that were taken on Clemens Center,” said his stepmother, Angelica Perry-Cardona. “We are asking the City of Elmira to please do something about Clemens Center. Speed bumps, ridges on the road, roundabouts, do something. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say about it anymore.”
“Too many people have lost their lives, on this very street,” said his brother Nickolas Munoz.
New data obtained from Elmira Police by 18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina shows the number of crashes on Clemens Center Parkway involving pedestrians or bicyclists, over the last five years. Here is the yearly breakdown:
Deadly crashes on Clemens Center Parkway involving pedestrians or bicyclists
2022 – 2
2021 – 0
2020 – 0
2019 – 0
2018 – 0
Non-fatal crashes on Clemens Center Parkway involving pedestrians or bicyclists
2022 – 0
2021 – 2
2020 – 2
2019 – 3
2018 – 1
NOTE: The numbers provided by Elmira PD may not reflect the correct calendar year of each accident because the data is based on fiscal years. Elmira Police explained the discrepancy in an email to 18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina:
I have reviewed the numbers and they are accurate. They may appear off as the numbers were pulled from a NYS based system that compiles data for the fiscal year which runs from Oct 1st until September 30th, accounting for the 2 fatal MVA’s that occurred in the 2022 fiscal year not the 2021 calendar year.
Sgt. Joseph Linehan – Elmira Police Department
Elmira Police say they are the primary agency responsible for enforcing the 40-mile-per-hour speed limit on Clemens Center Parkway, which is a state road. In a statement, police said “Speed limits are enforced through routine patrols as well as designated traffic enforcement details which are conducted periodically.”
18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina asked Elmira City Manager Michael Collins if the city is considering any safety changes to Clemens Parkway. Collins said he met with Elmira Police Chief Kristen Thorne. Collins said he was aware 18 News was receiving information from Elmira PD. He declined to comment further and referred us back to police.
Do you know someone who was killed or injured on Clemens Center Parkway? Let us know by emailing nicolasdubina@wetmtv.com
