Ninety six tears

The following is a letter I wrote to the editor of a weekly local paper. It is being published in next week's issue

On Monday, a tragic hit and run accident took place, ultimately taking the life of a thirteen year old child.

I want to try and break down the dimensions of the tragedy of this event because there is a lot to it.

First, there are no sidewalks in Olmsted Township on either Fitch or Cook, both roads are busy with speeding cars, construction vehicles , and children walking in the street because there is no where else for them.

Second, the person who hit this child, was probably speeding as many cars do and couldn't have dreamt that his or her actions would end up in the death of a child, but they did.

Third, if you hit a person with a car, even with all the terror you feel, and initial inclination to keep going, you don’t, you think about how your fear can not be compared with an injured, scared child, and in this case critical situation.

Perhaps there is nothing you can do but hold the person, rest a hand on theirs , get help, but leaving them alone to die is never an option, because after that, no matter how much punishment the legal system will impose, the fact that you abandoned the duty that is all of ours, in any community under any circumstances, to offer comfort in what ever way possible, is a true catastrophe.