12-Year-Old Bicyclist Struck On Way To School

Plano police said a car struck a 12-year-old boy who was riding his bike to school Wednesday morning.

[happy medium]

Why are there no crossing guards to guide kids thru?????

[God Bless Us All]

That is a busy street and there should be a crossing guard. But I think the real question is where are the parents.

[Rep]

With people on cell phones and looking at their GPS they just don't watch for pedestrians or bicycles. Maybe they see people not in cars and feel they'll run them down so they can get to where they're going faster.

[ConcernedParent]

God Bless Us All wrote:

That is a busy street and there should be a crossing guard. But I think the real question is where are the parents.

I'll be the first to bash bad parenting whenever I see it, but if they have to work and/or have other responsibilities, then they may not have a choice. My wife and I have to let our 12yo daughter walk home (by herself most of the way) because of circumstances beyond our control. Where am I? At a job I can't afford to lose or change.
Unfortunately I have been driving my kids to school for the last few months (in the area of this accident no less) and I see so many idiots rolling through stop signs, not using turn signals (more important in some situations than you might think), and driving like someone is about to give birth it almost surprises me that more accidents don't occur in/around school zones.
And do you think school districts are going to try and find and pay for multiple crossing guards, especially at a busy intersection that has already stop lights? Think again.

[joi]

Are there ANY parents who can volunteer to watch out for the kids?

[Dee]

God Bless Us All wrote:

That is a busy street and there should be a crossing guard. But I think the real question is where are the parents.

How can you blame the parents? I would understand if it were an elementary student, and obviously this street is dangerous to need a crossing guard. I live in Mansfield and my son is an 8th grader he has walked home a few times and I'm sure Broad and Walnut Creek is no where as busy as this street and I constantly check up on him(cell phone). I know that he's smart and old enough to cross the street, but prefer to drop him off and pick him up because after school people are rushing and not paying attention and I'm lucky enough to have a job that allows me to do that but not every parent can do that.

[Tme]

For Goodness sake stop bashing the parents here. This is a twelve year old in what seventh grade? Most kids that age are perfectly capable of riding a bicycle to school. If the school requires students to be early to school for band, athletics, tutorials, etc than they should have a crossing guard or the enforceable speed limits enabled for those earlier times.

[Mary]

Like usual, someone will have to get killed or seriously hurt before the beauracracy will do anything.

If gas goes to $12 -$15 per gallon and rationing, there may not be that many cars on the road!!!

I feel for "Concerned Parent". When my kids were in school, I was in the same position. It's a tough place to be.

This country needs to get back to where "the village raises the kids" and people get back to watching out for each other rather than their own selfish selves.

[yolanda]

he shouldnt have been cross a busses street like that so were were his parent at at the time this happen

[God Bless Us All]

Dee wrote:

<quoted text>
How can you blame the parents? I would understand if it were an elementary student, and obviously this street is dangerous to need a crossing guard. I live in Mansfield and my son is an 8th grader he has walked home a few times and I'm sure Broad and Walnut Creek is no where as busy as this street and I constantly check up on him(cell phone). I know that he's smart and old enough to cross the street, but prefer to drop him off and pick him up because after school people are rushing and not paying attention and I'm lucky enough to have a job that allows me to do that but not every parent can do that.

I think most of us are at work in the afternoon and early evenings. But if the school district isn't going to protect our children then we should take responsibility for them.
Parents should organizing something in that neighborhood if you ask me.
And, maybe he should not have been riding a bike across a street that busy. I am not one to judge, I just think the parents should more involved when 3 children are hit by vehicles in the same place over a 12 month period of time.

[God Bless Us All]

Mary wrote:

Like usual, someone will have to get killed or seriously hurt before the beauracracy will do anything.
If gas goes to $12 -$15 per gallon and rationing, there may not be that many cars on the road!!!
I feel for "Concerned Parent". When my kids were in school, I was in the same position. It's a tough place to be.

This country needs to get back to where "the village raises the kids" and people get back to watching out for each other rather than their own selfish selves.

EXACTLY! We all need to help each other! If it wasn't for the after school program I don't know what I would do!

[ECinBigD]

is the boy ok? they say NOTHING of his status

[Tme]

I have a ten year old in the after school program also. When my son was twelve there was no after school program for that age and there still is not.

[XXX]

How is the child? That should be our first concern

[Brains]

I'm really love how NBC5 reports... Misses out half of the story. Could you at least tell us the condition of the child or is that too much to report?

[mercedes from arlington]

WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CROSSING GUARDS!!!! THEY NEED TO FIX THAT FAST BEFORE ANOTHER KID GET HURT WHERE THE CITY PLANO,THE SCHOOL THEY DON'T HAVE A SAYING IN THIS!!!

[Bill]

If the parents know there's a problem, then why let the kid take his chances? If I know something my kids doing is dangerous, I don't let them do it.

[Bill]

ConcernedParent wrote:

<quoted text>
I'll be the first to bash bad parenting whenever I see it, but if they have to work and/or have other responsibilities, then they may not have a choice.

That's a cop-out. There's always a choice.

[Frank from McKinney]

I drive that intersection every day and drove through yesterday right after the incident happened. That intersection is governed by a school zone and is monitored by police very often. The issue I think and maybe a solution is to start the school zone lights at 7:30am to protect the children that need to be at school early. That was the situation here...it happened right before 8:00am and right before the school zone became active. All in all, the driver needs to pay better attention...there is a crossing sign there. Pedestrians have the right of way.

[Frank from McKinney]

Does anyone know how the kid is?