Generally, a school bus stops traffic for children to get off of the bus and cross the street, if needed. However, sometimes, the children are dropped off of the bus on the side of the road and then must cross busy roadways to make their way home. While many busy roadways in the metro Atlanta area have crosswalks, they can be far apart. Some children and even adults may not wish to have to walk sometime a half mile to get to the nearest crosswalk. Unfortunately, this can lead to tragedy, as it did in Dekalb County. WSBTV and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution report.
7-year-old William Campbell had been dropped off by the bus at his bus stop on North Decatur Road. It was Tuesday, August 14th.
The driver of the vehicle that hit Campbell as he was trying to cross the busy, four lane road way never saw him.
The driver, who was not identified, was coming over a hill and did not see the child until it was too late. The 7-year-old was alone and was trying to cross North Decatur road.
He was about ½ mile from home.
Neighbors say that there is a lack of crosswalks in the area. Mapping the crosswalks out revealed that there are about ½ mile between each safety crossing.
Martha Griffin, who is a nurse, witnessed the deadly collision. She pulled over and attempted to help Campbell, but was afraid to move him due to his injuries.
Because the driver of the vehicle stopped after striking Campbell and the child was outside a crosswalk, the driver may not face any charges.
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