BATH BEACH, Brooklyn (PIX11) — The Bath Beach community gathered Thursday night for a vigil to remember 11-year-old Amira Aminova, who was hit and killed by a school bus a week ago.
The deadly crash at the intersection of Bath Avenue and 23rd Avenue was caught on surveillance video and shows Aminova sprinting in the crosswalk just before the fatal collision. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said her death could have been avoided.
“This just could’ve been prevented, and the family that’s dealing with unimaginable heartache — that burden is so much heavier when it’s something that could be prevented,” said Williams.
The community and local leaders are turning their grief into action by calling for stronger traffic-calming measures. According to the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, 130 children have been killed in vehicle collisions since Vision Zero began in 2014 — an initiative by the city aimed at ending all traffic deaths.
Twenty-eight of those children, including Aminova, were walking to or from school, according to the organization.
“Simple solutions still exist to these deaths, such as daylighting or road diets that are proven to prevent deaths like this one,” said August Hoyt of Transportation Alternatives.
The community marched to IS 281, the school Aminova attended, in her memory.
According to police, the 62-year-old school bus driver, Wawa Aurelus, has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian or cyclist and failure to exercise due care.
Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Here’s how
Still, the family’s attorney Alexander Karasik, said they’re planning to pursue justice against the driver, who left the scene after the crash, to the fullest extent of the law.
“The bus driver, in this case, we believe not only acted negligently, but we believe he acted grossly negligently and recklessly,” Karasik said.
PIX11 News reached out to the New York City Department of Transportation regarding the community’s concerns.
The department said it is reviewing the location where the crash happened, as well as a request for a study to be done at the intersection, as it is pursuing safety upgrades across the city.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.