Letter to the Editor about the Recent Tragedy
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Concerning the Recent Tragedy
Most of the community has heard about the very tragic death of a 12-year-old girl due to a vehicle accident on the evening of March 13th, while she and another girl were leaving the Trailhead Christian Church after a youth meeting, attended by many kids. The other girl was life-flighted out because of very serious injuries. Pray for her recovery. Our hearts and deepest prayers go out to both families and the person who hit the side-by-side the girls were riding in.
Following the accident, traffic was backed up on Highway 12/287 in both directions for at least three hours. There was intense and very good work performed by members of Broadwater County Deputies, Dispatchers, Broadwater County Fire, EMS, Montana Highway Patrol, the wrecker crew, plus the kids that assisted. All deserve sincere thanks for their dedicated efforts.
It was dark out when the accident occurred. A suggestion to help keep this from happening again is to have traffic police direct traffic in both directions for about 10 minutes or so at the highway entrance to the Church from the highway on Wednesday nights when the kids are leaving the Church. However, besides the death of one of the girls and serious injury to the other one, what is also very disturbing is that I heard the state and/or federal highway departments have a policy that this section of highway won’t be widened and have turnouts for perhaps 20 years, and also that they want to see how bad the death count gets. The death of this girl was certainly one too many. But if this is really the policy shame on you people who make such decisions. How would you feel if your own child was killed or seriously injured in the same area because you didn’t think it was important enough or used the excuse of not having enough money to put safety into one of the busiest highways in the state?
This brings to mind words of the old Bob Dylan song Blowin' in the Wind:
“And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind”
Is your answer blowin’ in the wind?
Matthew Nelson
