Submitted by Aiken Jacobsen on
Car accidents involving pedestrians are more likely to occur on streets near college campuses and other places with a lot of foot traffic. Drivers need to be especially careful when traveling in these areas.
Sadly, a student who attended Sacramento State was recently killed after she was hit by a car while trying to cross a street near campus. A memorial 'ghost bike' has been placed near the accident site to honor the fallen student and to remind others about the dangers of car accidents involving pedestrians.
According to police, the accident occurred in the early morning hours of April 1st. A 22-year-old Sacramento State student was attempting to cross the street with her bicycle when she was hit by an oncoming car.
Police are still investigating the accident, but they say the driver of the car did not see the student. Her bike did not have a light or reflectors on it.
In honor of the student, a 'ghost bike' memorial was left anonymously near the accident site. The memorial is located in a pedestrian island where walkers and bikers wait for traffic signals to change.
The memorial is a bicycle which has been painted white and tied to a traffic pole. The bike is accompanied by flowers and a picture of the victim. As a testament to how common pedestrian accidents can be, this ghost bike memorial is just a block away from another ghost bike memorial to honor a bicyclist who was killed last year.
Police may conclude that the driver was not at fault for this recent accident, but it is important to remember that pedestrian accidents are nonetheless preventable. Drivers should always practice extra caution when driving near college campuses, hospital campuses and other places with a lot of pedestrian activity.
Pedestrians and cyclists can protect themselves by always wearing reflective gear and looking both ways before stepping into the intersection. Drivers and pedestrians in Sacramento need to work together to make sure a tragedy like this one does not happen again.
Source: The Sacramento Bee online, "'Ghost bike' left in memory of CSUS student," Bill Lindelof, 13 April 2011
