Fun at Celebration Station ends in a tragic death

A night of fun at Celebration Station ends in a tragic death. Clearwater Police tell us around 11 p.m. a 12-year-old pedestrian and several other juveniles had been at Celebration Station and were attempting to ...

[Megan]

Kids today have no common sence.Why were 12 year olds out that late unsupervised crossing US 19? Parents don't even know what there kids are up to.

[Jen]

I agree. Poor kids. I wouldn't let my child run around that late.

[brother]

IN THE MEMORY OF GIOVANNI TEJAMANIL.1997-2008 5/1/08
WE WILL MISS YOU FROM THE WHOLE FAMLIY AND FRIENDS .THE ONLY BROTHER I HAD. I LOVE IN MY HEART AND MOM AND DAD WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH .

[Kathleen in Zephyrhills]

tragic ... yes

preentable ... yes

I agree a 12 yr old shouldn't be out at 11 PM unsupervised ... if he had checked for traffic before attempting to cross the street he might still be alive ... the simplest of precautions ignored and a life is lost

[Kathleen in Zephyrhills]

preventable ... yes

sorry ... clearly I missed the "v" ... that will teach me to proofread

[hmmm]

Megan wrote:

Kids today have no common sence.Why were 12 year olds out that late unsupervised crossing US 19? Parents don't even know what there kids are up to.

If you read the paper or watch the news around here, you'll notice that about every day there is someone getting hit by a car on 19. They are mostly older than twenty years old. Doesn't seem to just be the kids that don't have common senSe.
Thanks for having sympathy for a kid who was killed.

[Hernando]

With this being a child, SOMEHOW the driver will be charged. Who should be charged is the PARENTS. What is a 12 y.o. kid doing running around on US 19 at 11 at night?!?!?!? Negligence on the part of the parents, pure and simple.

[sikes]

the last time i went to celebration station i died of boredom!

[mee]

My Mom wouldn't even let me ride my bike in front of my house when I was a kid, let alone let me cross 19!!! My husband and I were just driving down 19 on Friday and a crazy old man just walked right in front of our truck to cross. We JUST missed him and the next 2 lanes barely missed him too. I don't see why anyone would want to walk in front of a bunch of cars doing 60+mph (noone follows the speed limit). Crazyness.

[Sidecar]

Unsupervised? The parents were where? As far as the driver goes, 78% of the population shouldn't have a drivers license anyway for their poor driving skills.

[mother of two]

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this child. Such a tragedy. My heart also goes out to the driver of the car. U.S. 19 is one of the most dangerous roads and i hate driving it. Something has to be done people do not do the speed limit and have WAY to many distractions!

[mother of two]

sikes wrote:

the last time i went to celebration station i died of boredom!

Not funny you obviously have no class!

[Marylou]

A 12yr old and other juveniles out at 11pm, attempting to cross 19- if that is not a tragedy in itself. Where are the adult supervisors for these kids??? I feel bad for the child who died and also for the driver who hit the child. Sounds like possible neglect..........

[Marylou]

mother of two wrote:

My heart goes out to the family and friends of this child. Such a tragedy. My heart also goes out to the driver of the car. U.S. 19 is one of the most dangerous roads and i hate driving it. Something has to be done people do not do the speed limit and have WAY to many distractions!

With a 55 mph speed limit, it would be kinda tough to stop if a child darted in front of you- especially if you are on a highway where you don't generally expect to see a pedestrian crossing, so how can you fault the driver. I still feel the parents play a role in this picture, sad but true!!

[Ali]

What is a 12 year old doing out at 11pm with no adult supervison. Thats is just not right at all. Yeah she might have been with others but no one was "Legal" that should not be happeing.

[Jim]

my 12 year old is in bed by 10PM. Unreal!

[Land O Lakes]

Marylou wrote:

<quoted text>
With a 55 mph speed limit, it would be kinda tough to stop if a child darted in front of you- especially if you are on a highway where you don't generally expect to see a pedestrian crossing, so how can you fault the driver. I still feel the parents play a role in this picture, sad but true!!

I have to agree with you. The driver was not a fault. At 11:00 pm a 12 yr old should not be running the streets and if his parent(s) knew he was at Celebration Station, the parent should have picked up the child rather than let the child walk. US 19 is way to dangerous for anyone of any age to try to cross. Lets not forget there are also laws that say you should cross at a cross walk. It may take you a little longer to walk which wouldn't hurt anyones health and be able to safely walk across the street with the light. I think children should be taught a street safety course around this age to remind them of how to cross the street safely. However there is no guarantee that you are completely safe. Defensive Safety should be taught and practiced by the parents. My heart goes out to the parents and siblings of this child as well as the driver for the driver was at no fault. My god rest his soul.

[Alexandra]

I'm 16, my niece was in the same 5th grade class as gio. He was supposed to be graduating from elementary school tomorrow. My niece was really close to him and everyone in his class cried together today. why not stop trying to blame people and just show our respects? He was a 12 year old child. rest in peace.

[brother]

Land O Lakes wrote:

<quoted text>
I have to agree with you. The driver was not a fault. At 11:00 pm a 12 yr old should not be running the streets and if his parent(s) knew he was at Celebration Station, the parent should have picked up the child rather than let the child walk. US 19 is way to dangerous for anyone of any age to try to cross. Lets not forget there are also laws that say you should cross at a cross walk. It may take you a little longer to walk which wouldn't hurt anyones health and be able to safely walk across the street with the light. I think children should be taught a street safety course around this age to remind them of how to cross the street safely. However there is no guarantee that you are completely safe. Defensive Safety should be taught and practiced by the parents. My heart goes out to the parents and siblings of this child as well as the driver for the driver was at no fault. My god rest his soul.

WE USE TO CROSS THE 19 AND SURVIVE.THE IN THE MAN IN THE TRUCK OR VAN DIDNT EVEN COME TO US HE WAS STILL DRIVE FOR 10 SECOND.THEN HE STOP. PULL MY BROTHER OFF THE ROAD. I SAVE HIM FROM GET RUN OVER AGAIN BY OTHER CARS

[brother]

Land O Lakes wrote:

<quoted text>
I have to agree with you. The driver was not a fault. At 11:00 pm a 12 yr old should not be running the streets and if his parent(s) knew he was at Celebration Station, the parent should have picked up the child rather than let the child walk. US 19 is way to dangerous for anyone of any age to try to cross. Lets not forget there are also laws that say you should cross at a cross walk. It may take you a little longer to walk which wouldn't hurt anyones health and be able to safely walk across the street with the light. I think children should be taught a street safety course around this age to remind them of how to cross the street safely. However there is no guarantee that you are completely safe. Defensive Safety should be taught and practiced by the parents. My heart goes out to the parents and siblings of this child as well as the driver for the driver was at no fault. My god rest his soul.

BUT THE MAN DIDNT COME TO US TO HELP US HE CALL POLICE FOR EMERGENCY