The horrific accident, that took the lives of three local
teenagers and left another in the hospital, must have shaken to the
core every parent who read the stories and saw the photos of the
wreckage.
The horrific accident, that took the lives of three local teenagers and left another in the hospital, must have shaken to the core every parent who read the stories and saw the photos of the wreckage.
On Monday night, four teens – three 13-year-olds and a 16-year-old – took a stolen car on a joy ride. When pulled over by the California Highway Patrol, they fled at speeds up to 100 mph. The driver lost control, hit a power pole and the car burst into flames. Two of the children were trapped inside and one was pinned under the bumper. All three died. One girl was thrown clear of the car, but is in a doctor-induced coma in the hospital.
It’s never easy to make sense of such a tragedy. A string of never should haves dot the path to a tragic end – stealing a car from a friend’s mom, taking a high-speed joy ride, running from the police. They never should have done so many things that fateful night.
Most importantly, they never should have paid with their lives.
But they did all those things, and paid the ultimate price, leaving their parents and the rest of the community searching for answers when in reality all the disclosure in the world can do nothing to change the past.
Everyone with kids can put themselves in the shoes of the parents who lost their children that night. In fact, phone lines to the Free Lance, the California Highway Patrol and schools were flooded with calls from worried parents wondering if their child was one of the unfortunate group.
While some say parents can always do a better job watching over their children, and perhaps we can, there comes a time when children must make their own choices. It’s too idealistic to believe parents can shelter their children from the pitfalls and temptations in today’s world.
What we can do is teach children that their actions have consequences like in Monday’s sad event.
Anyone who has suffered a loss even remotely similar to the families of these children knows that death is hardest on the living, who are left behind to pick up the pieces of shattered lives. But if there is any good behind this dark cloud, it’s in the chance it creates for parents to talk to their children about the importance of making right decisions – consider the consequences of your actions before you make them and how those decisions affect the ones you love and those that love you.
The pain from this senseless loss is real – the tragedy heartwrenching – and our hearts go out to the families whose children have lost their young lives.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Hollister Free Lance, 350 Sixth St., Hollister, Calif. 95023 or e-mail to
ed****@fr***********.com
.
