Diane Ly
Donation protected
Couple hit by vehicle while crossing street, woman dies while man suffers serious injuries.
Surveillance footage of incident
On September 11, 2019 at around 8:50pm, Diane Ly and Warren Cheng were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident in South Boston. They were on their way to meet their friends for dinner at Lolita’s in Fort Point when they were struck by a white cargo van while in the crosswalk of Summer Street and Melcher Street.
Both Diane and Warren suffered serious injuries and were rushed to Tufts Medical Center. Unfortunately, Diane succumbed to her injuries while Warren remains in the hospital with multiple fractures, a broken nose, and intracranial hemorrhages .
Neither Diane nor Warren have immediate family in Boston as they were visiting from Los Angeles. Diane’s parents were not able to see their daughter alive once more before she was taken from them. Warren was alone for 6 hours without any word of Diane’s condition until the friend he was supposed to meet broke the news to him. Warren didn’t believe it at first, because he couldn’t remember seeing Diane after the accident. He thought that she was able to get out of the way and that only he was hit. It was only when Diane’s cousin Melinda and Diane’s parents called to confirm the news that it finally sunk in. He yelled and cried for her and kept saying he needed her. His heart was broken.
As of 9/13, Warren still remains at Tufts Medical having undergone 8 hours of surgery with more to go. The surgeon could not finish due to extensive swelling and the operation has been postponed to a later date. He remains stable and is expected to survive.
Diane celebrated her 30th birthday in June. She was an only child, a loving daughter, a caring friend, and a compassionate nurse. She was studying to become a nurse practitioner. She was so full of life and was a kind-hearted spirit.
The main reason for their visit was so that Warren could introduce Diane to his friends and family before asking her to marry him. He was so excited to have her meet his friends that evening and his parents and sisters in New York the following Saturday. “You guys will love her. She’s so perfect. I love her.”
Please send your thoughts and prayers to both the Ly and Cheng family, and please consider helping out Diane’s family as they navigate through this difficult time. We are all so heartbroken and grieving the loss of our beloved Diane; she was taken away from us all too soon. We are also wishing Warren a speedy recovery. If you would like to contribute, a donation of any amount would be so appreciated. All funds will go directly to Diane’s parents Hai Ly and Anne Wong to help with funeral costs and medical bills. We thank you for your generosity in their time of mourning.
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This busy intersection has been a concern for pedestrians when the timing for the lights were changed months ago. The crossing signal indicates pedestrians still have 18 or so seconds to cross Summer Street, but cars turning left from Melcher Street have a green light and they must yield to pedestrians. Letters of complaints and photos have been sent numerous times to the Mayor and the Boston Transportation Department, but each complaint was shot down with the same response, “The case has closed and that the walk lights are in conformance with federal safety standards.”
Since the incident, Mayor Walsh has stated there are already plans underway to improve safety at the intersection. “We are going to continue doing the work needed to get to zero roadway fatalities across the entire city, and make sure that every person who uses our roadways is safe.”
But WHY must something tragic have to take place first? WHY must we have to lose a life in order for people to open their eyes and to finally take action? This is absolute negligence.
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Surveillance footage of incident
On September 11, 2019 at around 8:50pm, Diane Ly and Warren Cheng were involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident in South Boston. They were on their way to meet their friends for dinner at Lolita’s in Fort Point when they were struck by a white cargo van while in the crosswalk of Summer Street and Melcher Street.
Both Diane and Warren suffered serious injuries and were rushed to Tufts Medical Center. Unfortunately, Diane succumbed to her injuries while Warren remains in the hospital with multiple fractures, a broken nose, and intracranial hemorrhages .
Neither Diane nor Warren have immediate family in Boston as they were visiting from Los Angeles. Diane’s parents were not able to see their daughter alive once more before she was taken from them. Warren was alone for 6 hours without any word of Diane’s condition until the friend he was supposed to meet broke the news to him. Warren didn’t believe it at first, because he couldn’t remember seeing Diane after the accident. He thought that she was able to get out of the way and that only he was hit. It was only when Diane’s cousin Melinda and Diane’s parents called to confirm the news that it finally sunk in. He yelled and cried for her and kept saying he needed her. His heart was broken.
As of 9/13, Warren still remains at Tufts Medical having undergone 8 hours of surgery with more to go. The surgeon could not finish due to extensive swelling and the operation has been postponed to a later date. He remains stable and is expected to survive.
Diane celebrated her 30th birthday in June. She was an only child, a loving daughter, a caring friend, and a compassionate nurse. She was studying to become a nurse practitioner. She was so full of life and was a kind-hearted spirit.
The main reason for their visit was so that Warren could introduce Diane to his friends and family before asking her to marry him. He was so excited to have her meet his friends that evening and his parents and sisters in New York the following Saturday. “You guys will love her. She’s so perfect. I love her.”
Please send your thoughts and prayers to both the Ly and Cheng family, and please consider helping out Diane’s family as they navigate through this difficult time. We are all so heartbroken and grieving the loss of our beloved Diane; she was taken away from us all too soon. We are also wishing Warren a speedy recovery. If you would like to contribute, a donation of any amount would be so appreciated. All funds will go directly to Diane’s parents Hai Ly and Anne Wong to help with funeral costs and medical bills. We thank you for your generosity in their time of mourning.
———
This busy intersection has been a concern for pedestrians when the timing for the lights were changed months ago. The crossing signal indicates pedestrians still have 18 or so seconds to cross Summer Street, but cars turning left from Melcher Street have a green light and they must yield to pedestrians. Letters of complaints and photos have been sent numerous times to the Mayor and the Boston Transportation Department, but each complaint was shot down with the same response, “The case has closed and that the walk lights are in conformance with federal safety standards.”
Since the incident, Mayor Walsh has stated there are already plans underway to improve safety at the intersection. “We are going to continue doing the work needed to get to zero roadway fatalities across the entire city, and make sure that every person who uses our roadways is safe.”
But WHY must something tragic have to take place first? WHY must we have to lose a life in order for people to open their eyes and to finally take action? This is absolute negligence.
———
Fundraising team: ChengLy (5)
Philip Nguyen
Organizer
Boston, MA
Hai Ly
Beneficiary
Cherry Huynh
Team member
Le Tongue
Team member
Melinda Ly
Team member
Sarah Bae
Team member