‘Horrific’ injuries in school zones sparked Capitol plea: ‘Keep our children safe’
A Caldwell student had been looking forward to running track when he was hit by a driver in a crosswalk near his school, Caldwell High School Principal Chantel Kelly told lawmakers this week.
Now, he can’t.
The student underwent seven hours of surgery, she said, and won’t be able to walk for months. He hasn’t yet returned to classes. When he was hit, Kelly recalled, she called his mom from his cellphone to let her know her son was hit and would be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
“It just made my heart hurt seeing him in the middle of the road,” she told lawmakers. “He was worried about his shoes because they were brand new, so that he could get started on practicing.”
Kelly testified in support of a bill that would add stricter penalties for people who speed in active school or construction zones.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Pohanka, R-Jerome, would allow a reckless driving charge for going 20 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit in school and construction zones. If found guilty, people could face steep fines and jail time, and the penalties would increase with a second offense.
Pohanka said he brought the bill forward after having constituents ask him why lawmakers weren’t doing more to address this issue.
During the committee hearing, some lawmakers questioned what “active” means in cases of school and construction zones, citing some construction zones that were set up but had no workers.
Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, said she worries every time she drives to Boise, passing through construction zones, that she’s going to crash. “The barriers are far too close. They leave no room on the side for exit,” she said. She admitted she got a speeding ticket last year “in the confusing lanes through Jerome.”
The committee voted to send the bill to general orders to clarify some of the language.
“We want to ensure that the people that are going to be protected by this piece of legislation are actually there,” Rep. John Shirts, R-Weiser, said. “I think addressing people’s concerns and making some clarifications is never a bad thing.”
Law enforcement officers support bill
During the hearing, several law enforcement officers testified in support of the bill. Many of them shared their own experiences of witnessing or being affected by reckless drivers.
Caldwell Police Chief Rex Ingram said over the past few months in Caldwell, three children were injured by drivers in crosswalks near their schools.
They sustained “major, horrific injuries,” he said. He talked about having to explain to a parent that “their child is lifeless on the ground” and squaring that with laws he called “too lenient.”
The bill is “extremely crucial” to keeping students and construction workers safe, he said.
“We need to be able to enforce the law and hold people accountable that are driving recklessly through these school zones,” Ingram said.
In December, a driver also hit a student who was riding their bike at the entrance to the parking lot at a school in the Boise School District. The student wasn’t hurt, the school’s principal said at the time.
Tom Defur, also with the Caldwell Police Department, shared that his daughter was killed in a car crash because of an inattentive driver. The Statesman previously reported Defur’s daughter, Alyson, died in 2013 after a driver ran a stop sign and flipped the family’s truck. She was 4.
When Defur got into law enforcement, he said, he wanted to be a proactive officer, and traffic enforcement is an important part of that. It saves lives, he said.
“Holding drivers accountable through law enforcement, personal responsibility and yes, even through stricter penalties, creates a culture of safety,” he told lawmakers. “When drivers know there are real consequences for reckless behavior, they are more likely to consider the outcomes.”
‘Keep our children safe’
Kelly, the Caldwell principal, urged lawmakers to take action to protect kids in Idaho.
She talked about a second Caldwell student who was hit by a vehicle and also hasn’t returned to school yet. That student is in the district’s medical assisting program, and has been emailing teachers worried about making up work and getting finals done.
“These young people’s lives have been changed forever,” Kelly told lawmakers, speaking over video. “Their lives will never be the same.”
She ended her public comment with a plea: “Keep our children safe,” she said.
