The uncle of one of the victims posted a comment on that link, indicating that the kids were in the marked crosswalk; the driver was going "too fast for the conditions." Read: he was speeding. No surprise there -- Broadway is full of speeding drivers in the morning. Come to think of it, it's full of speeding drivers at noontime. And it's full of speeders in the evening, too.
I am presuming the uncle knows the details of the SAC PD police report because I called the PD and they would not release it to me, as I was not involved in the incident. I tried to get the police report from the Elk Grove PD the other day regarding the man killed on Sheldon last month, but again, it's not releasable. Therefore I have to speculate. And if the uncle's account is true, then I wasn't too far off the mark regarding the cause of this accident.
If sun-in-the-eyes was at issue, it's always a matter of speed: slow the fuck down. If kids are present at that intersection the speed limit is 25mph. I hardly ever, ever! see anyone drive that speed. Slow the fuck down.
Consider this: the girls, unfortunately, will probably have to be driven to school for a while...when they are healthy enough to return to school. This will only increase the brutal traffic at that intersection, creating something like a fait accompli: More cars and parents will demand their children be driven for safety, creating more cars, making it a dead-zone for anything but vehicles.
This driver: if the victim's uncle is fair in reporting and his comments regarding the accident are indeed factual and not just speculation or wishful thinking (sorry: this is an all too common human trait), then what does this say about the way we drive? A guy in slacks and a collared shirt; he could work next to me in my office. Probably not a stoner. Probably not drunk on his way into work. Quite likely someone any of us would befriend. But behind the wheel, like 80% of the rest of us, he becomes an asshole. Doesn't give a shit about other users of the road. Doesn't signal. Speeds. Likely carries multiple pieces of electronica and operates them while driving, because fielding that phone call now is always so fucking important. This is the way most of us drive, and I don't care if I'm totally wrong about this one chap -- most of us drive this way.
So if a [presumably] well-to-do and responsible guy can level a few teenagers with his vehicle because of excess speed, what do you suppose those who maintain no personal responsibility are capable of?
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