BY KEITH LACEY
Meghan Mahood can?t believe anyone could be in such a hurry as to endanger the lives of young children.
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Meghan Mahood (right), her sister, Erin, and Erin?s children, Jeremy, 3, Samantha, 6, and Rachel, 5, are upset after a couple of bad drivers gave them a scare on Thursday afternoon. |
Within a 10 minute span Thursday morning, Mahood, her twin sister Erin, and Erin?s three children were all victims of erratic drivers.
In the first case, Mahood?s three-year-old nephew Jeremy was sideswiped and fell to the ground after being nudged by an old-model pickup truck at the corner of Elgin and MacKenzie Streets. The driver of the pickup truck blew a red light, she said.
Young Jeremy lifted up his shirt to show off some scrapes he received as a result of the dangerous encounter.
The incident occurred as Mahood and her family were walking home after a trip to the downtown library.
Less than 10 minutes later, the driver of a red sports car whizzed by at a high speed narrowly missing her nieces Rachael, 5, and Samantha, 6, at the intersection of Louis Street and Notre Dame Avenue, said Mahood.
In both instances, her group of five were proceeding across the intersections with the walk sign flashing.
The intersection of Louis and Notre Dame is very large and it takes time for three young children to cross. While the driver of the red sports car didn?t blow a red light, she said, he was extremely impatient and drove perilously close to the children because they hadn?t finished crossing the intersection.
?I?m just so mad. I just wish these two guys would just slow down,? she said. ?They are driving vehicles that weigh thousands of pounds. They must realize they could hurt or even kill a child if they were only a few inches closer.?
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Jordan Mahood, 3, shows off some of the scrapes he received after being nudged by a pickup truck driver Thursday afternoon. His aunt Meghan is pleading for drivers to slow down. |
Having one incident occur is bad enough, but two close calls 10 minutes apart is almost beyond belief, said Mahood.
?I can?t believe it really happened one after the other...I?m still shaking.?
During the first incident, the pickup truck driver didn?t apologize or slow down, but rolled down his window, swore and slipped the middle finger in her direction after she yelled a profanity at him, said Mahood.
Mahood called Greater Sudbury Police about the incidents and will give officers a description of both vehicles and drivers, she said.
Any experienced driver knows it can take a few extra seconds for young children to cross the street. People must use patience and common sense, even if they?re in a hurry, or else something very serious could happen, she said.
?Drivers have to slow down, especially when they see children crossing the street,? she said. ?School is just around the corner and there will be children everywhere. I just don?t want to hear about a child being killed because a driver was too impatient to drive properly.
?My nieces and nephews are OK, but I?m still shaking thinking about what could have happened.?
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