Boy Dies Needlessly

I was saddened when I read in the Poughkeepsie Journal that the little boy who was in an accident on the Saw Mill Parkway died. According to the news reports, somebody stopped in the passing lane of the southbound parkway, waiting to make an illegal U-turn. The guy waiting to make the turn was rear-ended by another car and pushed into the oncoming northbound lane. In being pushed into the oncoming traffic, it hit the vehicle the little boy was riding in. Sadly, they were coming from a Yankees game.

Two points on this tragedy:

(1) Given the severe head injuries the boy sustained, I suspect he wasn’t strapped in. Always wear your seat belts, even when riding in the back seat. Younger children should have age-appropriate children’s car seats.

(2) Before doing something illegal, reckless, stupid or otherwise dangerous, THINK before you act! Stopping in the passing lane of a parkway where people are going 50 mph or more is unbelievably stupid and dangerous. Although charges haven’t yet been pressed, I suspect the guy who stopped on the parkway will be charged with vehicular manslaughter or some similar charge that will probably put him in prison.

So you have three families whose lives have been ruined: the boy’s family, the family of the guy who will probably go to prison, and the family of the person who rear-ended him. Every day I see stupid and reckless acts on the road, and it’s a miracle there aren’t more accidents and tragedies. Don’t become a statistic.