Sad news comes to us today -by way of Gothamist– the 23-year-old woman who was hit by a bus near Myrtle-Wyckoff a few weeks ago was taken off of life support today. The young woman, Ella Kottick Bandes, hailed from Montclair but was a Bushwick resident. She was struck by a bus at the  tricky intersection where Myrtle, Wyckoff and Palmetto meet under the elevated JMZ train platform.

Corner of Myrtle / Wyckoff / Palmetto, where she was struck

 

Ella was struck by the truck at about 11 pm on New Years Eve, and after remaining on life support, has passed away today. NorthJersey.com’s online Obituary reports that Ella was an organ donor and has so far saved 8 lives with her donations. They also had this to say about her beautiful life.

She was a talented musician, dancer and artist. Throughout her childhood, she studied dance with Sharron Miller, art with Andrey Tamarchenko, piano with Joan Bujacich, and violin with Rebecca Harris. After graduating from Macalester College in 2011 with degrees in psychology and studio art, Ms. Bandes was completing an internship at the Columbia Psychiatric Institute.

She was working at the Weight Watchers corporate office, and was planning to pursue a doctorate in psychology. Her dream was to provide mental health services to underserved populations.

Everyone, look both ways before you cross. Bus Drivers, pay attention. Be safe, everyone.