Victim identified in fatal Arborway crash in Jamaica Plain

BOSTON — The man killed in a crash on the Arborway in Jamaica Plain Sunday has been identified as a 48-year-old Worcester man.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office identified the victim as Ilir Janko Melka.

Melka was driving on the Arborway around 2 p.m. when his car was struck by another vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He was a person who loved life. He loved life more than anything else,” his brother Claude Melka told Boston 25.

“The state trooper said there was a car speeding on the other side of the road. And somehow the car lost control and ended up on the other side of the road hitting head on first, so the whole car basically landed on him. And he died instantly.”

Melka said he believes his brother could have been driving for Uber at the time of the fatal crash.

The other driver in the crash, an 18-year-old man, was injured and remains hospitalized.

“This shocked all of us, this shocked all of us completely. He doesn’t deserve this. He deserves the best of the best,” said Alex Dagri, a family friend.

Ilir leaves behind three daughters in his wife.

“I will let whoever, whatever authorities are in charge of this to do their investigation to do their job. But let’s do the right thing,” his brother said.

Residents say drivers speed in the area, and it likely played a major role in the crash.

The posted speed limit near the scene of the crash is 25 miles an hour, but an electronic speed indicator located only feet away from the crash site reveals the flow of traffic is much faster than 25.

“These are beautiful parks. People should be able to come and enjoy them and not feel they can walk their dog and wait for a car to fly off the road and kill them,” David Moir of Jamaica Plain told Boston 25.

Massachusetts State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the crash.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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