Unfortunate news...

The following news story is relevant to my previous blog post in a most unfortunate way...

IU student struck, killed on campus
Posted: Sep 09, 2009 4:50 PM EDT
Updated: Sep 09, 2009 6:59 PM EDT

Bloomington - An Indiana University student was struck and killed by a car on the IU campus Wednesday afternoon.

It happened on Fee Lane at around 2:30 pm. Police say a 19-year-old male student was driving southbound when he struck another student, also a 19-year-old male, who was walking eastbound across Fee Lane. The street was closed while police investigated the scene. It has since reopened.

At this point it isn't known if the victim died at the scene or in the hospital. The driver is not believed to be injured.

I wrote about how both drivers and pedestrians should both be more careful just last week.

The fact that this happened so shortly after I wrote that blog entry honestly disturbs me and upsets me. Granted, I did not expect my message to get out to everyone, I think it's unfortunate that these things still happen.

It is also unfortunate that this occurrence will serve as a reminder and as a warning that everyone driving or walking around campus should be more careful. It's unfortunate because I believe this shouldn't have happened, and people shouldn't need for something like this to happen for them to think about being more careful. Perhaps not everyone needed to be warned or reminded, but there are always people who do.

I had a New York driver (saw their license plate) honk at me as I turned right off of 10th on to Fee Lane. I wasn't going particularly slow, but I wasn't speeding either. I don't know why they honked at me, but it became apparent that they were just being impatient after I turned off of Fee Lane. The driver, in a white Jeep, decided to hit the throttle and accelerate quite quickly only to need to brake again within 100 feet because there was another slower car in front of them. Really? You can all figure out the many ways that driver's lack of patience was undesirable. It is unnecessary for me to elaborate, but with drivers like that on this campus am I really surprised that something like this was bound to happen? Unfortunately, no.

Can everyone please just be a bit more careful getting around on campus? And everywhere else, really?

Again, drivers, please be more aware of your surroundings and slow down for goodness' sake, especially if there are a lot of pedestrians around. You won't impress anyone by driving fast on campus, so no need to show off.

Pedestrians, please be mindful of the crosswalks and crossing indicators at each intersection, ESPECIALLY around 10th and Jordan and 10th and Fee. And of course, be more observant of cars turning on to the street and when crossing the street when you're walking from behind a vehicle that may have otherwise hidden you from view before.

That aside, may the victim rest in peace and may the driver find some peace within themselves and try not to become overwhelmed with grief.

My thoughts are with the families of those involved.

Honestly though, it's just upsetting, really.

A note to young scholars walking out and about campus and drivers...

Look both ways, or you may get creamed like this guy. Darwin smiled upon this incident, but clearly all other parties in this photo are quite distressed. Here's hoping that everyone came out of this okay. And here's hoping that the person who got hit went about the American way and sued the driver's ass. (Found using Google Image search)

To whom it may concern:

School is back and many people are out and about walking to class.

If you are crossing 10th Street in front of the Herman B Wells Library on IU's campus, please take note and remember to do the following:
-Look both ways before crossing the street.

That's it. No more to add to that list.

Although there is more to say:
This morning I almost introduced 20 or so people (including one on a bike) to my car's front bumper (and potentially the hood and tires and underbody work). Why? I was going a moderate speed as I had just turned left from Jordan Ave. onto 10th St. Then, out of no where, a shload of students came out of the woodwork from behind cars that were stopped on 10th St. in line to get to the intersection of 10th and Jordan. You should note that it's hard for drivers to see that you'll be entering the street in front of them because you're literally coming out of nowhere from behind a car. Other drivers may not be going slow enough to stop their car in time before you find yourself tattooed in the face with a VW, Ford, Honda, you name it, logo.

Now, I can't blame you for the lack of visibility when trying to cross the street when you're standing behind a car, but is it too much effort to try and look AROUND the car you're standing next to so that you may determine if it is safe to cross or not?

I had to do two "almost" brake checks within 30 feet because of people who decided to cross the street and assume that I would stop my car for them. Thankfully, they assumed correctly. However, the more often this occurs, the more tempted I am to allow natural selection to take its course (not really, but it's occurred in my mind as a joke). Granted, if I hadn't stopped and just kept going I could have earned around 400 points (plus multipliers), but come on. Please. The fight between a pedestrian and a 3000-4000 pound rolling mass of metal is not going to be a pretty one.

It is for such reasons that jaywalking is illegal in some areas, but we all know that pedestrians on the IU campus jaywalk like they're getting paid for it, which is fine. Just be more cautious when doing so. As I said before, it is very difficult to see you coming when you are crossing the street from behind a car that otherwise made it impossible to see you before.

So ladies, gentlemen, young scholars, please do as you were told as a young child. Look both ways before crossing the street. I'll give you a bonus tip:
-If you look both ways and determine that your crossing of the street may cause a driver to need to slow down or stop, it may not be the best idea to cross the street at that time. Wait for a bigger gap between you and a car for a safer crossing.

This applies to all roads and intersections, not just 10th St. in front of the main library, that's just the intersection/street with the most offenders that I've noticed.

Yes, I am writing this as a complaint, but I hope that this isn't just brushed off because I'll be damned if I hear about a student getting hit by a car because they crossed the street when they could have been more careful.

Drivers and pedestrians alike: Please be more careful. Don't upset your parents or the driver who may hit you. Darwin may smile upon your misfortune, but most others will not be so happy.

So drivers: Be more observant and perhaps drive a bit slower where there is heavy foot traffic.

Pedestrians: Be more observant of other cars, especially when you are crossing the street from behind an object which hid you from view from other drivers.

Here's the note to try and make this more politically correct since modern society is so obsessed with doing so (heaven forbid I upset anyone): Yes, I inserted some rather sadistic and cynical humor, but that is because that is the kind of guy I am. The humor is not meant to be taken seriously, but the message is.

The end.

--Allen