![]() ![]() "The family and many members of the community out there in Mandarin have always had a problem with that intersection, the controls and the way they operate." "The family certainly believes there was more at play here than just Mr. After the incident, the state department installed a camera sensor that activates the walking signal automatically. Because of the Jewish law, they couldn't push the button, so they had about 11 seconds to cross eight lanes.Īt the time, Orthodox Jewish families walking across the street didn't know how many seconds they had. If they pushed the walk button, the Orthodox Jewish families crossing the street would have had about 50 seconds, according to the state Department of Transportation. The blame, Patacca said, might not go entirely to Fortunato but to the design of the intersection at San Jose Boulevard and Haley Road. The Ohayons' lawyer, Angelo Patacca, said the lawsuit hasn't been served yet, so Fortunato may not have seen it yet. The second anniversary on the Jewish calendar will be next Tuesday. Sunday also marked the second anniversary of the death on the Gregorian calendar. This Sunday night began Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, so the Ohayons, who observe the religious laws, cannot use electricity and were not available for comment.įortunato could not be reached for comment. He was cited, fined and his driving license suspended for careless driving. He hadn't slowed his car, a report said, but he had been driving the speed limit. Orly Ohayon filed an auto negligence lawsuit Thursday against Fortunato, and her sister filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him on behalf of their mother.Ī Florida Highway Patrol investigation found the light was red and had just turned green when Fortunato approached. Orly Ohayon, who was then 16 and who graduated from Wolfson High School last spring, had to go through extensive physical therapy to regain her ability to walk. Michael Fortunato, then 66, struck the women with his car.Įsther Ohayon died that night. That meant they likely had 11 seconds to cross eight lanes of traffic. Like the other Jewish congregants walking to synagogue, Esther and Orly Ohayon couldn't push the intersection's walk button. On certain holidays and on the Sabbath, Orthodox Jews cannot create energy, and they can't start electricity. It was a Sabbath, and it was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. 13, 2013, Esther Ohayon tried to walk across San Jose Boulevard to Etz Chaim synagogue with her daughter. Two years after a car hit and killed an Orthodox Jewish woman walking to synagogue, the woman's family filed two lawsuits against the driver and his company.
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