An America car ran out of petrol and two boys helped their father push it. The boys died when another car apparently ploughed into the back. The driver of the second vehicle was believed to be drunk. The driver of the second vehicle was shot dead. Police arrested the father, suspecting him of firing the missing gun. When I read about it the investigation was ongoing.
Tracking back through the series of alleged events, the trigger event is the first car breaking down. This type of fatality to pedestrians near a stalled car happens often on motorways even when the other drivers are sober. Drivers just plough into the back of stationary vehicles. That's why police tell you to get out of a stalled car on a motorway.
I can see that the families of the occupants of both vehicles would think that the main cause of the tragedy was the other vehicle.
What could anybody do to prevent an event like this happening again?
Most commentators would blame either gun ownership or drunk driving. A few would look at anger management.
Wrong place at wrong time? How could you avoid being there?
Prevention is better than cure. The moral is, try not to break down or stop on a dark road at night. Always have enough petrol (gas to American readers) for your journey.
If your vehicle breaks down, get out of the road and phone for help. A stationery or slow-moving vehicle is a danger to the occupants, bystanders - and the occupants of other vehicles which may drive into it.
I was knocked down by a car in Corsica after the coach taking my group to the airport broke down. Yes, I should have been thinking about the traffic and not the problem of getting to the airport and retrieving my camera from the coach. Yes, the vehicle which came over the brow of the hill should have been driving slowly enough to stop before hitting a pedestrian. But if the coach had not broken down in 1984, I would not be scarred, standing lop-sidedly, and feeling aches in my bones today.
One thing I always try to do, make sure I won't run out of petrol.
Tracking back through the series of alleged events, the trigger event is the first car breaking down. This type of fatality to pedestrians near a stalled car happens often on motorways even when the other drivers are sober. Drivers just plough into the back of stationary vehicles. That's why police tell you to get out of a stalled car on a motorway.
I can see that the families of the occupants of both vehicles would think that the main cause of the tragedy was the other vehicle.
What could anybody do to prevent an event like this happening again?
Most commentators would blame either gun ownership or drunk driving. A few would look at anger management.
Wrong place at wrong time? How could you avoid being there?
Prevention is better than cure. The moral is, try not to break down or stop on a dark road at night. Always have enough petrol (gas to American readers) for your journey.
If your vehicle breaks down, get out of the road and phone for help. A stationery or slow-moving vehicle is a danger to the occupants, bystanders - and the occupants of other vehicles which may drive into it.
I was knocked down by a car in Corsica after the coach taking my group to the airport broke down. Yes, I should have been thinking about the traffic and not the problem of getting to the airport and retrieving my camera from the coach. Yes, the vehicle which came over the brow of the hill should have been driving slowly enough to stop before hitting a pedestrian. But if the coach had not broken down in 1984, I would not be scarred, standing lop-sidedly, and feeling aches in my bones today.
One thing I always try to do, make sure I won't run out of petrol.
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