Be careful out there

My mom and I were standing in her living room discussing the beautiful weather when we heard screeching tires. We looked out the window in time to see an elementary student standing inches in front of a white Denali SUV. The girl was crossing the street in a group of students who had just been let out from William Budd. There was a crossing guard in the middle of the road. The vehicle simply was going too fast and ignoring the people in the road.

I am glad to say the child wasn't hurt. She continued to cross, and the vehicle continued through the intersection once the kids had passed. A quick discussion with the crossing guard revealed he did not get the license plate number of the SUV, as the vehicle was gone before he had crossed all the students.

After the incident, and after all the students had crossed for the day, police came to the corner with the guard, and while I can say exactly how their conversation went, I can see from changes to the intersection the following morning that the incident was not taken lightly. The next day there were warnings placed ahead of the crossing, letting drivers know to stop and a police officer sitting in his car close by.

I am sure the incident was simply an accident, and as I have watched kids cross that corner frequently in my nearly five years in Fairmont, I can say most drivers are careful. But it just takes a moment of distraction — a look at the cell phone, a day dream, or simply driving on auto-pilot — to make a move that will change your life, and another's life, forever.

The kids have been crossing at that street twice per day, every school day for nearly nine months. It should no longer be a surprise to find kids there, with two schools virtually across the street from each other. So be careful drivers, come three o'clock. Someone's life depends on it.