A 16 year old boy, a student at Emily's school, was killed in an automobile accident.
It happened near the entrance to our neighborhood.
It was Friday evening. Jonathan and I were on the Greyhound bus headed back from the fifth grade field trip. Text messages started coming in. The teachers were passing on messages about the accident. Many students were gathered at the scene where the child died instantly after flipping his truck and being thrown from the vehicle. The investigation lasted several hours. Then the police officers left the scene barricaded even longer to give the students a chance to be together.
When I asked my friend, who was one of the officers at the scene, about it....he said the only thing we can hope for now...is that every student at the scene...and others that knew him....will learn a valuable lesson.
Many people had called 911 to report a reckless driver just moments before. My friend and her daughter had been walking on the sidewalk and were almost run down by him on his way to take 2 passengers home...it was on his way back that the accident happened in almost the exact spot where they been walking just 10 min before. That sidewalk is normally very busy with runners and people walking their dogs at that time of the evening.
We drive by the scene everyday. For the first few days, every time we drove by, there were several teenagers gathered, talking, praying, just standing~staring. We have had some very good conversations with each of our children about what happened to cause the accident. About the things that you choose to do with your life that can have a huge impact on you and others around you. They have really been listening and asking questions and making some sincere pledges...I hope they will not forget!
My heart hurts for his family...for all that has been lost....but I can hope....and I do....because that is what we have to hold on to.
My heart goes out to his family and your community. So sad to read about any life lost, especially when it could have been prevented and to someone so young. Our nephew was in a car accident with his truck and he was thrown...he was not paying attention when he was driving, but for him...he walked away from it and thankfully, no one was in the area that could have gotten hurt.
ReplyDeleteBlessings & Aloha!
I had also wanted to return your visit and say thank you for stopping.
We had a similar situation happen recently close to home, only 4 teens were killed. SENSELESS....is all I can think of. It seems like the more teens you pile in a car, the more reckless they become. I don't mean to lump all teens in that statement, but I see some really senseless, stupid stuff and it just floors me.
ReplyDeleteI know this sounds very "old personish", but I'm not so sure that raising the driving age to 18 isn't such a bad idea. I don't think people (teens especially) realize the level of responsibility they are under when they get behind the wheel. What a terrible waste of life. So sorry for his family and what they have to be going through right now.
So sad, and such a loss. My heart goes out to the family. And yes, I hope all his friends will remember and realized it's not worth it.
ReplyDeleteIn the UK, the minimum age for learning to drive is 17. Still, we have problems with accidents, especially for young men. The prices charged to add an under 21 to car insurance (compulsary over here) are astronomical!
ReplyDeleteSo sad. So hard. But these are the lessons that linger with kids. I had a similar experience before my sophomore year. They won't forget, they'll be better. I pray for that family. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for the family of this young boy, and my heart goes out to them. I am glad that you and the kids are using this opportunity to have some good, deep discussions. ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteOh, Jen. . .such hard lessons.
ReplyDeletePraying for you and for the family. . .
what a tough lesson, jen ... 20 months ago our small town lost a beautiful and popular 15 year old girl from a very active and well known family in town - she was crossing the street in a crosswalk and was hit by a speeding 19 year old - tragic on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side, there has been a huge "slow down" campaign in her name, the stickers are in every shop window and on every car in town. So many young teens have learned a valuable lesson, too bad it had to come at such a high cost :(
So sorry this happened. Such a senseless loss. One of my biggest fears is my children as passengers and not being the ones making the decisions.
ReplyDeleteDana
I'm so sad to read about this. I am praying for all involved. There are always so many lessons that come out of something like this, but it's so tragic!!! So so very sorry!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry Jen. This is such a hard lesson to learn for young people, but I'm sure what has happened will make an impact that mere words never could.
ReplyDeletePraying for all that were effected.