The neighborhood killer crosswalk
November 16, 2003 ~ 7:48 p.m.
Someone got killed just yards from our house earlier this week.
We don�t live in a dangerous neighborhood. It is adequately peaceful and clean around our area. Although dodgy types do reside around here, they are harmless as long as you mind your own business. Don�t bother them and they won�t bother you.
It wasn�t an act of human violence that killed the poor soul. He was hit by a car at the crosswalk and succumbed there. Apparently, it was a case of hit-and-run. The bastard behind the wheel either thought he hit an animal or knew that he�d clocked at boy at forty miles an hour (the speed limit on our street is 30 mph) and didn�t care to face the consequences.
The boy�s name was Zack. That�s the name that appears on the remembrance cards attached to the bundles of flowers tied to the lamppost at the center of the crosswalk. We do not know his age, but we suspect he was young enough to have probably gotten confused on his way across the street. It can only be surmised that the boy was without the supervision of an adult at the time he met his maker.
It was about 10:00 p.m. Monday night when I noticed that the street outside was unusually quiet. Usually, a rush of traffic keeps the outside humming until about midnight. I curiously peeked through the curtains and saw all sorts of police vehicles, and there may have been an ambulance, though I don�t remember noticing one. I looked down towards the town hall and saw a policeman directing the flow of traffic. Then I looked up in the other direction and saw tape strung across the crosswalk. The section of street had been cordoned off; in fact, it reminded me of the morning before I came back to London after my summer vacation in Boston.
We didn�t notice the tributes, flowers and large yellow police notification sign at the crosswalk until Wednesday. We were speechless.
As my wife said, �There we were, comfortable and laughing at comedy on the TV while just one hundred feet from us, a boy got killed.�
�How were we to know there�d been a fatality? I thought somebody had just driven into the pole or something.�
It�s amazing how often this happens in London. I doubt there�s a crosswalk in the entire metro area that hasn�t seen its fair share of blood and flowers. I�ve heard tales of crosswalk killings, some quite grisly, from lots of people during my time here. And now, we�ve got one ourselves, just a hop, skip and a jump from our front door. Hell, for all I know, someone probably even met their demise at the famous Abbey Road crossing the Beatles paraded across.
People have got to learn to drive more carefully. But, as I�m sure any psychologist could attest to, something seems to happen to even the normally cool-headed whenever they get behind the wheel.
And now a boy is dead, all because somebody just couldn�t or wouldn�t slow the fuck down.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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