by Chris Munzing
Dorothy Freiser, 97, of Long Beach, was killed when her 1983 Cadillac collided with a 2000 Honda Civic operated by Anthony Valentine of Elmont.
The accident occurred at 4:06 p.m., when both vehicles were driving southbound side by side on Austin Boulevard, approaching Kingston Boulevard. Valentine, 75, was forced to veer right to avoid a 1998 Toyota operated by Kenneth Kilgannon of Long Beach. Kilgannon was in the process of making a left turn from the westbound lanes of Kingston onto the southbound lanes of Austin Blvd.
According to police reports, the passenger side of Vanentine's Honda struck the front driver's-side fender of Freiser's Cadillac as Valentine swerved to avoid Kilgannon's car. Upon contact, both vehicles continued southbound briefly, before Freiser lost control of her car and it careened into the southbound parking lane, where it struck the rear of a parked 1999 Dodge Durango. Valentine's car ended up in front of the Jimmy Hays restaurant. He was uninjured.
Freiser suffered serious head trauma and was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where she expired from her injuries at 4:55 p.m.
Long Beach Fire Chief and EMT Scott Kemins was the first paramedic on the scene of the accident. "I immediately started treating her," he said. "I put a neck collar on her to prevent further injuries." Kemins said he wasn't surprised that Freiser died, because her injuries were extensive. In addition to her severe head trauma, Kemins believed Freiser had internal injuries as well. Due to the nature of Freiser's injuries, it is likely that they resulted from the contact with the parked Durango and not the initial sideswipe from the Honda Civic.
Due to the age of the car, it was difficult to determine whether Freiser was wearing her seat belt, according to Fourth Precinct Sgt. Bill Miller. Freiser's daughter, Rose Marie Leibold said that from her conversation with the funeral home, they were confident that she had been wearing a seat belt.
Tony Mete of Liberty Petroleum, on the corner of Kingston and Austin boulevards, across from Jimmy Hays, said it looked as if Valentine was trying to make a right into a parking lot when his Honda hit Freiser's silver Cadillac. "It looked like the red car was trying to turn and he hit the lady," Mete said.
From Mete's point of view, parking lots on both sides of Jimmy Hays looked like Valentine's intended destination. According to police, however, Valentine's movement was due to Kilgannon's emergence on Austin Boulevard.
Fourth Precinct Detective Jon Daniel said that in these situations, the steps taken by police are to secure the area, allow forensic evidence to be taken at the scene, take photographic evidence, impound the vehicles involved and question witnesses.
Neighbors were shocked at the news last week, but remembered Freiser as a vibrant person even at her advanced age. "She was very alert, she was upbeat," said Kristina Gunay, Freiser's neighbor. "Very sweet woman, very nice. It's a shock."
Long Beach loses beloved resident
by Chris Munzing
Dorothy Freiser, who passed away June 18, was born on Nov. 1, 1905, in Manhattan, and it soon became apparent that she would be no ordinary woman.
Freiser took to the bright lights of Broadway early on, and became a dancer in many shows and musicals. She performed as she lived, with a smile on her face and enjoying every minute of it.
Freiser touched people wherever she happened to be. When she was a waitress at LaGuardia Airport, she wasn't content to serve coffee and take orders. Instead she became a leader of the union for her fellow waiters and waitresses. She was at the forefront of everything she participated in.
She moved to Long Beach from Flushing, Queens, in the mid-1970s, which caused her daughter, Rose Marie Leibold, to worry. Being a woman of her mother's age in a strange city with no friends was what concerned Leibold the most. But the personality exuded by Freiser made her an instant friend to many.
She was quickly adopted by her neighbors across the street, often dining with them and making them all laugh. "When you met her, you just loved her," said Leibold. Freiser was truly a woman who crossed all lines and boundaries.
Her passion for dancing stayed with her throughout her life, as she took dancing lessons at the Recreation Center. At the wake held earlier this week, Leibold said that her mother's dance teacher came up to her and told her that her mother was the best dancer in the class, and by far the most fun to be around.
Freiser escaped the harsh winters of the Northeast by spending most of the time in Texas with her daughter and her family. Freiser wasted little time becoming a family member to everyone there as well. "My mailman would ask, 'When is Mom coming back?'" Leibold said. Freiser's cardiologist in Texas was already making plans for her 100th birthday.
Some would say that a 97-year-old woman should not have been driving, but Leibold will be the first to tell you that Freiser wouldn't have been driving if something indicated that she couldn't do it. But that wasn't the case. "She had just gotten her license renewed," said Leibold. Freiser had recently received a letter from her insurance company commending her for her stellar driving record.
Freiser's spirit and lust for life made all those around her laugh. People were proud to say that they knew her. It isn't often that this is said about a 97-year-old, but all who knew her would agree that Dorothy Freiser was taken from the community too soon.
