SPRINGFIELD — Heather Rivera laughed when she remembered her “sassy” 6-year-old granddaughter who dubbed her “hamma” and her grandfather “hampa” when she was learning to speak.
But that laugh turned to sadness when she talked about how her grandchild Khloe Rosario Quinones was struck and killed by a car on May 12 while playing with other children in front of her home on Newland Street.
Determined that no other parent or grandparent in the Brightwood neighborhood will face the same pain her family is going through, Rivera started a campaign to add speed bumps on Newland Street.
“She was an amazing baby. Sassy,” Rivera said. “She was loved by everyone.”
Khloe, who loved to dance, was Rivera’s only granddaughter. She also leaves behind her mother Honesty Quinones, father Wilfredo Rosario, several siblings and many other close family members, she said.
Khloe Rosario-Quinones, 6, was killed after being hit by a car in front of her Newland Street home on May 12. Now her grandmother is leading the effort to have speed bumps placed on the residential street. (submitted by Heather Rivera)republican
On May 12, Khloe was playing in her front yard and riding her bike when a car struck her a little before 5 p.m., Rivera said.
She was rushed to the nearby Baystate Medical Center in a private vehicle and died at the hospital, police spokesman Ryan Walsh said.
“All parties involved have been accounted for,” police said shortly after the crash. Khloe’s death is being investigated by the Springfield Police Traffic Unit and the Motor Vehicle Homicide Unit.
Police have released few details since, referring all other questions to Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. A spokeswoman for Gulluni said the investigation is ongoing but did not comment further.
Rivera said her granddaughter, a kindergartener at Brightwood Elementary School, was struck by a driver who was speeding down the residential street.
“There are a lot of children, not only on the street but in the whole neighborhood,” she said.
The spot where she was struck is marked with flowers left by friends and family members.
Rivera has started a petition on Change.org to gather support for the installation of speed bumps on Newland Street to force drivers to slow down. She has collected nearly 600 signatures online as well as others from her neighbors in Brightwood. People can sign online to support the effort to place speed bumps at www.change.org/SpringfieldSpeedBumps
Khloe Rosario-Quinones, 6, was killed after being hit by a car in front of her Newland Street home on May 12. Now, her grandmother is leading the effort to have speed bumps placed on the residential street. (Submitted photo)republican
Rivera said she is hoping the petition will convince the City Council to install three speed bumps on the street, one at each end and a third in the middle near where her granddaughter was struck.
City Councilor Maria Perez, who represents the Brightwood neighborhood, said she is in contact with Rivera and Quinones and is starting the process to install the speed bumps and looking at other ways to slow traffic.
Perez said she is working with Christopher Cignoli, the city’s Department of Public Works director, to begin the process.
“We are going to put a community meeting together to talk about it,” she said.
In the short time she has been collecting signatures, Rivera said she is thrilled to see she has also received support from other city officials, including School Committee member Joesiah Gonzalez, who signed the petition.
Gonzalez, who represents the Brightwood area, is running for City Council this year. He said he isn’t just a city official: He is a neighbor who owns a home one street over from Newland, and he is the parent of a daughter who is a year younger than Khloe.
“It is horrendous,” Gonzalez said. “It is a densely populated neighborhood with a lot of children. Let’s get on top of this.”
The problem is the neighborhood is laid out between two main streets, Plainfield Street and Riverside Road, that run roughly parallel to each other. In between those streets is the neighborhood, and drivers cut through the side streets such as Newland, Orchard and Washburn without slowing down. The side streets are narrow and cars are parked on both sides, making it hard to see anybody, especially a child, at a high speed.
It isn’t just the speeding that is a problem. People also blare music and have installed after-market mufflers that are loud, creating quality of life issues, he said.
Based on the fact there are three elementary schools — Brightwood, Lincoln and German Gerena — and Chestnut Middle School that serve the neighborhood, Gonzalez estimated about 2,000 children live in the area. He said their parents shouldn’t have to worry about them playing outside in their own yards.
He praised Rivera for her advocacy and efforts to make a difference in the neighborhood.
“This isn’t a blame thing. To get action on things like this, it takes a community effort,” he said.
While Gonzalez said he is in favor of installing speed bumps on Newland Street, he said he knows it will take time. He pledged to work with Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, his fellow School Committee members and those on the City Council to try to get dedicated enforcement in the neighborhood.
“We have to be there to stop speeders, tow cars that are not registered and insured and cars that are clearly outfitted for drag racing,” he said. “Let’s put a fire under each other’s butts. The community needs us to do it.”
Family and friends have placed flowers near where the incident happened in memory of 6-year-old Khloe Rosario Quinones, who died after being hit by a car on Newland Street. The aunt, Wildenise Rosario, said that cars are constantly speeding up her street, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
