A car struck and killed Ben Daggett, 16, as he rode his bicycle to his job at a Syosset McDonald's
The Daggett family, along with friends, at a 2023 dedication ceremony. Credit: Howard Simmons
10:12 a.m.
That was the time on the microwave as Jaime Daggett's son Ben headed out the door.
"Everything comes back in slow motion, and I can vividly see it," she said of the last moments she interacted with the 16-year-old on an unusually warm Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023.
Ben was covering a friend's shift at the nearby Syosset McDonald's where he worked — extra cash for the Dodge Charger he hoped to buy after turning 17 a week later and receiving his permanent driver's license.
Jaime Daggett, 43, had offered to drive her son, but he said he'd ride his bicycle, wanting to meet up with friends at the gym after work.
"I did what I thought every parent does," she said of letting her firstborn bike to his job. "All the kids ride their bikes to McDonald's."
Ben was just over a mile from his home when he was struck by a Nissan Altima turning from South Oyster Bay Road onto the Long Island Expressway service road. He died after 16 days on life support.
Nassau police did not release the identity of the 54-year-old driver, who remained at the scene. No charges were filed in the crash.
"It changed a lot of people’s lives," said Jaime Daggett, who has since moved to St. Louis with her husband, Alex, 39, and daughters Gabriella, 14, and Audrey, 13.
Ben, a Syosset High School football player who Jaime described as funny and compassionate, was a mentor to younger students. After the crash, friends raised $4,000 that helped get a bench at the school engraved in his honor.
He was passionate about music and had already finished an album that is on Apple Music, Jaime said.
"He left me a gift. I can still hear his voice," she said of blaring his 'trap music' raps from her car, something she said gets her looks at stoplights. "It gives me comfort."
Jaime said Ben’s death impacted her marriage and her relationship with her daughters. Therapy has helped, she said, but "it doesn’t go away."
"I chose to live, but it’s with immense pain," Jaime added. "Every day I think of what was and what could have been."
She now doesn’t let her daughters ride their bikes anywhere but the park.
"There’s no carefree anymore," Jaime said.
Jaime has studied the intersection where the crash happened and those around Long Island. She has lobbied lawmakers for more uniformity in traffic signals and not allowing both vehicular turns and pedestrian crossings simultaneously.
"I want it to not happen again," she said. "Because it’s so incredibly painful and devastating."
10:12 a.m.
That was the time on the microwave as Jaime Daggett's son Ben headed out the door.
"Everything comes back in slow motion, and I can vividly see it," she said of the last moments she interacted with the 16-year-old on an unusually warm Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023.
Ben was covering a friend's shift at the nearby Syosset McDonald's where he worked — extra cash for the Dodge Charger he hoped to buy after turning 17 a week later and receiving his permanent driver's license.
Jaime Daggett, 43, had offered to drive her son, but he said he'd ride his bicycle, wanting to meet up with friends at the gym after work.
"I did what I thought every parent does," she said of letting her firstborn bike to his job. "All the kids ride their bikes to McDonald's."
Ben was just over a mile from his home when he was struck by a Nissan Altima turning from South Oyster Bay Road onto the Long Island Expressway service road. He died after 16 days on life support.
Nassau police did not release the identity of the 54-year-old driver, who remained at the scene. No charges were filed in the crash.
"It changed a lot of people’s lives," said Jaime Daggett, who has since moved to St. Louis with her husband, Alex, 39, and daughters Gabriella, 14, and Audrey, 13.
Ben Daggett Credit: courtesy of Jaime Daggett
Ben, a Syosset High School football player who Jaime described as funny and compassionate, was a mentor to younger students. After the crash, friends raised $4,000 that helped get a bench at the school engraved in his honor.
He was passionate about music and had already finished an album that is on Apple Music, Jaime said.
"He left me a gift. I can still hear his voice," she said of blaring his 'trap music' raps from her car, something she said gets her looks at stoplights. "It gives me comfort."
Jaime said Ben’s death impacted her marriage and her relationship with her daughters. Therapy has helped, she said, but "it doesn’t go away."
"I chose to live, but it’s with immense pain," Jaime added. "Every day I think of what was and what could have been."
She now doesn’t let her daughters ride their bikes anywhere but the park.
"There’s no carefree anymore," Jaime said.
Jaime has studied the intersection where the crash happened and those around Long Island. She has lobbied lawmakers for more uniformity in traffic signals and not allowing both vehicular turns and pedestrian crossings simultaneously.
"I want it to not happen again," she said. "Because it’s so incredibly painful and devastating."
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
'I wish his life was longer' Long Island lost at least 5,800 years of life to fatal crashes in 2023. Newsday examines LI's dangerous roads in a yearlong investigative series. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
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'I wish his life was longer' Long Island lost at least 5,800 years of life to fatal crashes in 2023. Newsday examines LI's dangerous roads in a yearlong investigative series. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
