Mourn TEA Who Brought Out 'True Spirit of City'; Baby Buried With Her
By TOMMY HALLISSEY
A blue and white sea of 1,000 Traffic Enforcement Agents Aug. 25 bid a final farewell to colleague Donnette Sanz, who gave birth to a baby before she died from injuries sustained after she was run over by a bus in The Bronx Aug. 14.

The Chief-Leader/David Greene COPING WITH A DOUBLE TRAGEDY: Rafael Sanz mourns the loss of both his wife, Donnette, and the baby boy she delivered before succumbing to the fatal injuries she sustained when struck while crossing the street.

Ms. Sanz's son, Sean Michael Justin Sanz, lived just eight days. "First and foremost, Donnette gave the gift of life, to her husband, Rafael, to whom she donated a kidney and to her son, Sean Michael, who was born into this world against all odds," Mayor Bloomberg said at the funeral in The Bronx. "And his stay on earth was tragically brief, but it was long enough to fill our hearts with love."

The 33-year-old Traffic Enforcement Agent, who was seven months pregnant, was hit while crossing the street on lunch break at East 188th St. and Webster Ave. A Dodge van, whose driver complained of failed brakes, pushed her into the path of an oncoming school bus. The 72-year-old van driver, Walter Walker, had a long history of unlicensed driving and suspended licenses.

The Chief-Leader/David Greene SHE GAVE THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER: Traffic Enforcement Agents line the street outside the funeral for colleague Donnette Sanz, who Mayor Bloomberg said could 'lighten their mood with a joke or funny comment, or even one of her infamous looks."

'Rescuers Lifted Our Spirits'

Ms. Sanz was wedged underneath the bus when passersby stepped in to help. "The bystanders who heroically rescued Donnette from under a school bus in The Bronx didn't just lift five tons of glass and steel; they also lifted the spirits of our entire city," the Mayor said on Aug. 22.

Ms. Sanz was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, where she delivered a three-pound baby boy by Caesarean section before dying from injuries sustained in the crash. Eleven days later, she would be buried arm-in-arm with her son in Valhalla.

Communications Workers of America Local 1182 President James Huntley praised Agent Sanz as "an outstanding public servant," but said there was a lesson to be learned from the tragedy. "This catastrophe points out the danger that Traffic and Sanitation Enforcement Agents face every day while performing their important duties," he said after the death of Ms. Sanz's son.

"As the Mayor said, it's unfortunate that it can take a tragedy like this to remind everyone of the service our Traffic Agents perform every single day."

'She Lightened People's Moods'

While Ms. Sanz performed a serious and often thankless duty, the Mayor said she brought the gift of laughter to work. "When her fellow Traffic Agents came back from a stressful day on the job, they could always count on Donnette to lighten their mood with a joke or a funny comment, or even one of her infamous looks," he said.

Mr. Bloomberg lamented never meeting the Traffic Enforcement Agent, saying, "I was looking at pictures on the television screen and trying to imagine what she was like, what it would have been like if I had had a conversation with her; telling a few jokes and laughing about the problems that we have, some of which we're solving and some of which we have to solve."

The Mayor called Ms. Sanz's work "an essential service" done with "grace and dignity." "In all the time that Donnette spent in summons enforcement, her supervisor never got one single complaint about her," he said. "Anyone who ever witnessed the reaction of a New Yorker who finds a ticket on his car can appreciate just how hard it is for our Traffic Agents to keep their cool but Donnette never had any problems in staying calm."

Focused on Life's Positives

Ms. Sanz's co-workers described her as a "real lady, first and always," he said. "She never held on to grudges or anger, and she tried to help those around her to see the positives in life," he said.

'''Get over all your negativity,''' she would say. 'I'm not into it.'''

"Now, I feel exactly the same way about the city; we aren't perfect, but we are getting better, and we aren't perfect, but we are better than anyplace else," Mr. Bloomberg said.

At Community Protestant Church on East Gunhill Rd., one TEA presented Rafael Sanz with a ceremonial flag from his wife's coffin. "Donnette's family meant everything to her and so did her husband, Rafael," the Mayor said. "Theirs was a love story that could rival anything you see in the movies. I understand it started — is this true? One day when Donnette was out shopping she dropped a magazine and you rushed over from afar and picked it up and saw your future right there?"

The Mayor told Mr. Sanz to carry on his wife's legacy, saying, "There will be tears, but eventually the tears do turn to good memories and to laughter. Never seems that way when you're at this point, but that's what Donnette would have wanted and that's what you have to do. Yours is a beautiful story, and that's partly what made you such a happy couple."

Despite his short life, the Mayor noted Sean Michael will hold a near and dear place in New Yorkers' hearts because he "tapped into the heroism of normal, ordinary New Yorkers who, within seconds of a tragic accident, came together to perform an extraordinary rescue. It's not the first time I've seen that kind of heroism in New York, and it certainly won't be the last. But every time I catch a glimpse of it, I know that I am seeing the true spirit of our city, and it does fill me with hope."