New York State to study deadly Cheektowaga intersection

It’s been more than a month now since the tragic death of 16-year-old Sherilann Lorenz. 

The teen died after a car hit her while she crossed Union Road in Cheektowaga on her bike. Lorenz was on her way to her lifeguard job with the town. 

“The devastation that this has caused not only myself but the members of the communities is just unbearable,” Diane Benczkowski, Town of Cheektowaga Supervisor said. 

This afternoon she along with New York State Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblywoman Monica Wallace visited the spot where the tragic accident occurred, near the Kensington Expressway. 

Leaders called on New York State Department of Transportation to review the dangerous intersection and take swift action to make it safer for pedestrians. 

“It’s incumbent upon the state to step up and make sure this type of thing never happens again,” Senator Kennedy said. 

NYSDOT is set to study the Union and Kensington Express Intersection. The state will look at things like traffic flow, signals, and crosswalks. Based on the results of that study engineers will start working on implementing necessary changes. 

“Lorenz’s life isn’t lost in vain,” Kennedy said. 

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