An ironic twist:
Yesterday a good friend of ours who is wheelchair bound, due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis, was hit in the middle of a pedestrian crosswalk by a car whose driver failed to stop for her, despite the fact that she was carrying a bright orange flag and that other cars had stopped.
Yesterday afternoon the Utah House voted down a measure that would have provided extra safeguards for the disabled in such crosswalks.
Our friend is one of the most faithful vigilers at our weekly sidewalk vigil (now in its 5th year), always arriving on time and holding a sign. She comes to other peace and justice events as well. We were arriving to our vigil place when we saw a horde of emergency equipment and as we approached our parking spot saw our friend’s empty wheelchair. Needless to say, I was opening the car door before Tom stopped it to jump out and find out what was going on. The ambulance was just pulling away with our friend. The police officer told me that she was “o.k.” but had a fractured leg.
Long story short, in the midst of emergency equpipment, reporters and tv crews, we helped provide some information about her, got her wheelchair out of the intersection and had a friend with a truck come get the parts after Tom disassembled it. The wheelchair is no longer operable. We then went to the hospital where another friend had arrived and was able to be with our injured friend (she has no family in the area). In summary, our friend has two fractured legs and is facing surgery (probably today) and at least a week at a rehabilitation center. Tom is going to attend to getting her a replacement chair today.
The driver of the car that hit our friend (Tom is quoted in the D-News article below) did not slow down or stop for her. The impact sent her flying out of her chair, along with her dinner she had had in her lap, about 30 feet from her chair. Our friend does not remember being hit but does remember being on the ground with people around her.
It is highly ironic that this happened on the heels of the Utah House decision to vote down extra safety measures for the disabled at crosswalks. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was instrumental in having canisters of orange flags for pedestrian’s safety which has helped pedestrians tremendously, but obviously more is needed. I also find it twisted that lawmakers would put automobiles’ interests ahead of pedestrians (see article below – reasons why the measure was voted down).
That was a bad move, Utah lawmakers.
I have submitted a letter to the Deseret News for publication in the opinion section.
From today’s Salt Lake Tribune:
Crosswalk users such as this one – seen on South Rio Grande Street in The Gateway on Thursday – will get no extra protection after a vote in the Utah House of Representatives. Representatives decided not to give disabled Utahns in crosswalks new safeguards. HB96, by Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, would have required drivers to stop while a person in a wheelchair or using a cane or walker made their way through a crosswalk. Current law only requires drivers to yield. But amid complaints about such restrictions tying up traffic, the bill died in the House on a tie vote.
Pedestrians use the cross walk on South Rio Grande Street in The Gateway. HB 96 modifies the Motor Vehicles Code by amending provisions related to certain pedestrians’ right-of-way in a crosswalk. (Chris Detrick/Salt Lake Tribune)
From today’s Deseret News:
Woman in wheelchair is struck in crosswalk
A peace activist on her way to an anti-war vigil in downtown Salt Lake City was hit by a car Thursday night.
The 59-year-old woman was in her motorized wheelchair in the crosswalk about 150 S. Main when she was struck. Salt Lake City police said she was carrying one of the orange pedestrian flags, but the driver of the car did not see her.
How could people not see a woman in a wheelchair? asked Tom King with People for Peace and Justice, who was headed to the vigil when he came upon the accident involving his friend. The group has been leading a weekly vigil against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan outside the federal building.
The woman was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital where she was reported to be in good condition.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 