Farmington business owner says the intersection needs to change after an e-cyclist died

FARMINGTON, NY – A woman has died after she was struck by a car while riding her e-bike in Farmington on Monday. Local residents say it is not the first serious accident there.

The accident happened at the intersection of Routes 96 and 332 just before 5 p.m. Don Bombace has owned Bombace Wine & Spirits near the intersection for 25 years. His security cameras captured many crashes during that time.

“Only last Friday. A car was making a left turn onto Victor from 332 and a car coming off the Thruway turned into them and it was a pretty serious accident,” Bombace said.

Bombace says he has contacted the state Department of Transportation about the issue but has not heard back. Now he’s taking matters into his own hands.

“I had called DOT with my concerns and such. And as a result, nothing happened or happened,” he said. “I also started a petition with the neighbors of Victor and Farmington and we already had almost 700 people sign a petition. And we create communication through their Facebook page to find out what people think about it. And almost everyone agrees that nothing has been done. But it’s time something was done,” Bombace said.

Bombace fears the intersection could damage the small town’s reputation.

“People come into the store, and today I don’t know how many people came in and said, ‘Thank you so much.’ I’m scared to drive through this intersection.” I go around and these are residents of our city speaking. Why would you be afraid to drive in your own community? And yet people go right around it so they don’t have to go through it. That’s not healthy for a small town like Farmington that is growing. And we want to attract people to the area,” Bombace said.

State police say a 24-year-old Rochester woman hit the e-bike rider. No charges have been filed against her.

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