Pedestrian Safety - Watching for the unexpected

From the report it’s difficult to comprehend how two pedestrians were killed walking along Texas Highway 21 near Gordon’s Auto Salvage in Bryan today. The two pedestrians were from Clarksville and Tomball, the one was 19 and the other 29 years of age. Witnesses’ are reported to have said the driver fell asleep while driving.

Trains and Pedestrians, A Painful Case

Join me this afternoon for a walk with James Joyce. This is to honor all of those people who die from collisions with trains at train-road-crossings in Iowa and around the nation. In some ways they are preventable but in other ways not so easily prevented.

Beggars Night Out and "Hurricane Katrina"

Trick or Treat!

 

Trick or Treat! Memories of childhood….begging for candy at neighbors’ doors and the fun of being out in the dark on a school night. Most of my childhood Halloween trick or treating was spent in a snow suit or at the very least, a coat that covered the costume I had spent months thinking about. I grew up in Buffalo, NY.

 

Things are different now. No longer is it the standard princess or fireman costume. Costumes today reflect our culture of television, movies, and politics instead of the jobs we want to do. For example, the most popular girl costume for 2009 is Hannah Montana, which quite frankly I don’t understand, maybe it is a generational thing. For boys, the most popular costume is Wolverine X-Men, which considering that Hugh Jackman portrayed this character in the movie, I completely understand the attraction with this choice. These costumes were the most popular on the Extreme Halloween website. At the Do It Yourself website, Michael Jackson is the costume of choice. With the opening of the movie, This is It, that should help tremendously to push this costume to the top.

 

Safety tips for a fun and safe Halloween:

 

Children under a certain age should be accompanied by an adult.

 

Costumes and masks should not restrict movement or vision.

 

Costumes should be reflective and a flashlight should be with each group. It would be beneficial for each child to carry a glow stick as well.

 

If your child is old enough to go trick or treating with friends, agree on the route they will be taking and what time they will be home.

 

For this same group, make sure they know that vandalism is not an acceptable trick.

 

Talk to your children about safety; about looking before crossing the street and not getting into cars with strangers.

 

Stress the importance of checking the candy with you when they return home. Make a game of it for young children, have them sort it by type and this will allow you to make sure it is safe to eat.

 

Happy Birthday to my own little treat who was born 23 years ago on Halloween, my daughter, Katrina.

Iowa Pedestrian Injuries and Deaths - News Roundup

What are the many ways pedestrian’s can be injured or killed? That question comes up more times than you can quickly think of.  In this post, which is being turned into a page for our Iowa pedestrian viewers, we examine the infinite number of ways pedestrians can be seriously injured or killed.

Many of you want to blame the driver or the pedestrian, depending on the camp from which you start you will draw conclusions based on predetermined and preconceived prejudice. But read through these over the next few weeks and see if you haven’t found yourself or your children in these precarious situations. They aren’t as far fetched or easily avoided as you might think. And again I can’t believe how many there have been in just the past few months. There are more to report on but I grew weary of reading and writing about so many.

So sit back, read and be patient. If you find my advice lacking, I invite you to comment to add your own words of advice. As always my point in writing is about safety; and in this instance, pedestrian safety.

Spokane, Idaho, May 8, 2009 - A 68-year old North Idaho man was struck and killed by a race car spinning out of control at the Spokane County Raceway. With Iowa just having built and opened the Newton Speedway and being the state where races take place at the Iowa Fair grounds along with Knoxville, pedestrians may find this case of interest.  The man was struck hard enough to be thrown up into a tree. He was said to have died instantly.

Alberta, Canada – November 2008 - A 44-year-old man was run down and killed as he walked across the parking lot of a busy Flying-J truck stop. The semi-truck driver was visibly shaken after the collision.

Edmonton, Canada – August 2008 - A 53-year-old man crossing the street was run down by an oncoming motorist while attempting to cross a busy street at a place other than a crosswalk. The driver of the 1976 Datsun was 19-years-old.

Raleigh, North Carolina, March 2009 - A 71-year-old pedestrian was killed after being struck by one SUV and then run over by three other vehicles while he was lying in the road. The SUV driver briefly stopped, then returned to his landscaping white truck and drove off. This is the same location where two young brothers were killed as they darted out into traffic while attempting to cross the street.

Hit-and-run strikes 9-year-old in Treynor, Iowa

Jayden Anderson was walking along Highway 92 about 8:45 last Friday evening when he was struck by a red car with black stripes. The car was occupied by three or four people who’ve not been identified.  So who is this Iowa hit-n-run driver?

Nine-year-old Jayden Anderson was struck by a vehicle while walking along Highway 92 in Treynor at about 8:45 Friday evening.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office says the vehicle that struck Jayden left the scene, and the driver failed to report the accident. The vehicle is described as a red car with a black stripe, and was occupied by three-or-four subjects.

“The second-grader was walking with two other children near Elementary Avenue and Highway 92 Friday night when he was hit by a westbound car. The car drove off.

"He was just with some friends. They weren't doing anything but what kids do. Unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Anderson.

Jayden was hospitalized in critical condition with what his father described as trauma to the head.”

If you know anything call Crimestoppers at 1-800-247-0592.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office

Sheriff
Jefferey Danker
1400 Big Lake Road
Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501

Non-emergency: (712)328-5737

Visit Department's Homepage

County: Pottawattamie