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Single Mom Killed In Christmas Hit-And-Run Was Carrying List Of Dreams


By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 27, 2011

Modified Dec 27, 2011


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M. Kuperus / Shutterstock


By

John Del Signore

Published Dec 27, 2011

Modified Dec 27, 2011


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And here is the utterly heartbreaking story of Donna Fountain, a 38-year-old home health care aide who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Crown Heights on Christmas morning. Fountain was blocks from her home when she was run down at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, at the intersection of Eastern Parkway and Troy Avenue. Back at her apartment, her 8-year-old son waited with a babysitter for his mother to return from her morning shift and open presents with him.

But, as the Daily News reports, that would never happen, nor would Fountain realize any of the dreams she carried with her everywhere, written carefully on a piece of paper. Fountain's dream list, recovered at the accident scene, is titled "My Dreams." It reads: "Work on my dream job. Buy a house by 45. Start housing for gay & lesbian teens. Marry the woman of my dreams. Make sure Elijah graduates from college."

Elijah Fountain, her 8-year-old son, will be taken in by relatives. Fountain's brother tells the News, "She did it all on her own. She built herself up. She believed in herself. She had the normal problems any single parent has, but she persevered and fought for her dreams." Investigators are currently going through traffic camera footage to see if they can track down the driver of the grey or silver vehicle that reportedly killed her. If you need us, we'll be spending the rest of the afternoon sobbing under our desks.

Tagged

brooklyn

car accidents

Crown Heights

donna fountain

hit and run


John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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