Poll: How Can We Protect Wyoming Students, Pedestrians From Cars?
Cheyenne seems to be having an issue with people being hit by cars recently.
In one tragic incident. 13-year-old Mak Evans died as a result of being hit by a car in a crosswalk near McCormick Junior High. A Gofundme page has been set up to help his family with medical bills and other expenses. Police say Evans was crossing Western Hills Boulevard in a crosswalk when he was struck by a Ford Escape.
As of Thursday afternoon, the motorist involved in the collision had not been charged.
On Monday, two more kids were hit by a car, this time near East High School. Fortunately, the two victims in that incident survived.
But the problem is not limited to Cheyenne or only school kids either.
Police in Torrington say someone hit an elderly woman on a city street in that town and then drove away from the scene. The driver in that incident has been identified, and the case remains under investigation. It's not known yet what charges, if any, might be filed in that incident. The woman's family reports that she is recovering from her incident.
There have been other fatal and near-fatal incidents in Cheyenne and elsewhere this year.
A Texas man was run over by a car during Cheyenne Frontier Days. In Casper, a student was hit and severely injured in May. A Cheyenne woman was hit and killed by a drunk driver on Lincolnway in March.
We could go on listing stories about students or other pedestrians who were killed or injured by motorists in this state, but suffice it to say, it doesn't seem to be all that unusual.
Federal statistics show Wyoming was 21st in the nation for pedestrian deaths per capita in 2019. Can we improve that standing? That number, of course, does not include injuries,
So is there a solution? Our poll lists some possible ideas. Give us your feedback!