Family relays safety warnings, calls for reform as deadly crash case ends

Mareska Vishlitzky maintains a decorated “ghost bike” as a memorial to her late daughter — and a warning to others at the crosswalk where she died. 

“If you’re crossing that place,” she said, “you have to be aware.” 

Billerica food-service worker Joshua Quimby hit and killed Concordian Tamar Vishlitzky with his car in 2024 at the spot where the Reformatory Branch Trail and Acton Road meet in Bedford. 

More than a year later, Mareska has suggested safety upgrades. Advocates say the state should help fund such efforts. 

The Vishlitzkys are also calling for harsher penalties for drivers like Quimby, who prosecutors say was using his phone and speeding at the time of the fatal accident. 

Quimby received a suspended two-year jail sentence, meaning he won’t serve time unless he violates his probation. 

Most state legislators contacted by The Acton Bridge skirted questions about the Vishlitzky family’s calls for more severe consequences. 

State Rep. Carmine Gentile, whose district includes parts of Acton, said prosecutors already have discretion to pursue charges with longer maximum sentences based on the facts of the case.

It’s not a criminal penalty, but someone whose “actions result in another’s death” might also carry a lifetime of “remorseful memories,” said Gentile, who also said his “heart goes out” to Vishlitzky’s family and friends.

Quimby’s lawyer, Michael Conant, told the court that his client is, indeed, “remorseful for his actions.”

 ‘100% distracted’

Vishlitzky, 53, was an artist and psychotherapist who immigrated to the U.S. from Israel as a teenager. She had two daughters. 

The intersection where Quimby hit her “is unsafe and can be made better,” Vishlitzky’s sister, Ruthie, said. “But he also was 100% distracted.”

Investigators said Quimby was driving with a suspended license and there were no signs he braked before the crash. 

The Middlesex District Attorney’s office charged Quimby with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation. He pleaded guilty this month. In addition to the suspended jail time, Judge Sharon Lalli sentenced him to 100 hours of community service and a 15-year license suspension. 

Gentile said prosecutors can opt for a charge of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon in certain deadly crashes. A district attorney could also charge someone with involuntary manslaughter, a felony with a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars. 

The maximum sentence for Quimby’s motor vehicle homicide charge was 2.5 years.

In a January 22 email, district attorney’s office spokesperson Sarah Lamson didn’t directly answer a Bridge question about Quimby’s case, but said charging decisions are “based upon the facts, evidence, [and] required elements of charges, as well as potential consequences.”

Tamar’s youngest daughter, Halle, said the 2.5-year ceiling “felt like almost minimizing what it was, which was just something so careless.”

A spokesperson for state Sen. Michael Barrett, whose district includes Acton, said the senator was “currently unavailable for comment” when asked if the law provides adequate consequences for people who kill pedestrians or bicyclists through negligent operation.

State Rep. Ken Gordon, who represents Bedford, didn’t respond to questions. The Bridge also contacted state Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. James Arciero, co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Transportation, but didn’t hear back.

‘Everything on the table’ 

Acton Transportation Advisory Committee Chair Mark Gailus said he’s “very concerned” that Quimby’s sentence doesn’t “honor the family’s loss and adequately discourage reckless behavior.” 

Gailus emphasized that he wasn’t speaking for his committee, but “we should put everything on the table” for road safety improvements. 

This could include automatic speed enforcement using cameras, speed bumps, or other measures.

State Rep. Simon Cataldo, who represents part of Acton, didn’t address the law but told The Bridge in an email, “When a possibly preventable tragedy occurs on a state road, it’s essential that the state works with local officials to look carefully at the location, and others similar to it, to determine whether additional safety precautions should be added.” 

Ruthie Vishlitzky said she didn’t think Quimby’s plea would deliver closure or “a sense of justice,” but it would lift a cloud that she said has been hanging over the family while the case has played out.

The ghost bike stood in its familiar spot hours after the hearing. Silk flowers and a photo of Vishlitzky gently fluttered in the wind. 

Alongside her frustration about the court process, Mareska Vishlitzky said, “I just want people to know that we are exposed to great danger on the road.” 

January 28: This story has been updated.