Trick question; he didn't make it.

http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/10326238/

Quote :

"ROBBINS, N.C. — A pickup truck hit an 8-year-old Moore County boy crossing the street to get to a school bus Wednesday morning, authorities said. Trooper D.P. Barber said the boy was struck along North Moore Road, about 1.5 miles north of Robbins, around 6:30 a.m. The boy, who school officials said attends Robbins Elementary School, was flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. An update on his condition wasn't available. Barber said the boy left his driveway and walked in front of the pickup to get to the bus, which was stopped on the other side of the road. The bus had on its flashing lights, but its stop arm wasn't out, troopers said. The pickup driver told troopers that he was going the speed limit, which is 55 mph along North Moore Road. More details, including the boy's name, haven't been released."

Feel sad for both. The guy should have stopped but I hope he doesn't get pounded with punishments; seems like he thought the bus was still slowing down a la no stop arm out and GOLO statement saying other reports stated that the amber (not red) bus lights were flashing, indicating that the bus was still moving, but the boy stepped out anyways.

11/2/2011 1:56:57 PM

When I see those lights flashing, I avoid the hell out of going near the school bus until the lights stop flashing. Too terrified of a situation like this occurring.

11/2/2011 1:59:01 PM

Meh, I do what the law says; stop on red, pedal to the metal on amber. Applies to stop lights, too.

11/2/2011 2:00:07 PM

i would slow down if i saw a kid anywhere near the road

seems common sense to me, nevermind that there is a bus at a minimum preparing to stop near the kid.

11/2/2011 2:30:26 PM

The first thing you look for when a school bus slows down and puts on his lights .... is kids.

11/2/2011 2:32:50 PM

^^ the boy "walked in front of the pickup"

how the hell would you slow down from 55 mph if someone steps in front of you?

where the boy's carers? why was an 8 yo boy crossing the road alone, let alone a road with a 55 mph limit?

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 2:33 PM. Reason : ]

11/2/2011 2:33:26 PM

if its a 55mph road im pretty sure an alert driver would see a kid standing there, as i doubt theres much curvature to the road

11/2/2011 2:35:13 PM

Unless this dude was cresting a hill, I'm sure he saw the flashing lights well before the boy started crossing the street. 8-year old kids wait for the bus alone all the time.

11/2/2011 2:35:45 PM

I'm guessing the truck driver is going to get in trouble for this one.

There is probably going to be some added "reasonableness" to be on the lookout and notice a kid if you can see a school bus...ESPECIALLY if the lights on that bus are flashing.

11/2/2011 2:37:49 PM

he should be in a shit load of trouble.

11/2/2011 2:38:56 PM

maybe there were cars parked on the side from where the boy was crossing, and he was infront of one of the cars and appeared onto the road just when the pick up also crossed the same spot. 8 year old boys are not taller than cars, and can be hidden fully behind a parked car.

Quote :

"8-year old kids wait for the bus alone all the time."

doesn't make it right. i am not going to baby my daughter her whole life, but i would always be there on the side to make sure she is ok out in the wild, at least at the age of 8.

11/2/2011 2:39:05 PM

blame the parents, this guy's negligient driving is at no fault in the least

give me a break. This guy pulled the same crap you see at stop lights across the state.

"fuck man im too important to wait a minute at this light, im bustin through!"

poepl hittin yellow turn signal on two wheels because they dont want to wait one minute for the light cycle, its a bunch of bullshit and this guy is gonna learn a hard lesson about how shitty the bus systems are around here.

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 2:43 PM. Reason : f]

11/2/2011 2:41:01 PM

Quote :

"maybe there were cars parked on the side from where the boy was crossing, and he was infront of one of the cars and appeared onto the road just when the pick up also crossed the same spot. "

I'm guessing you're not familiar with North Moore Road at all. No way a car was parked on the side of the street there.

11/2/2011 2:48:53 PM

and there are no other objects there that could have hidden the boy till he just stepped onto the street? like trees, bushes, monuments to dead people, tall fences, etc?

11/2/2011 2:51:55 PM

I seriously doubt it. Go look on Google maps. It's your typical country road with grassy sides.

Quote :

"give me a break. This guy pulled the same crap you see at stop lights across the state. "fuck man im too important to wait a minute at this light, im bustin through!" poepl hittin yellow turn signal on two wheels because they dont want to wait one minute for the light cycle, its a bunch of bullshit and this guy is gonna learn a hard lesson about how shitty the bus systems are around here."

This. Just another dude in too much of a hurry to stop for a minute

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 2:53 PM. Reason : a]

11/2/2011 2:52:39 PM

youre a poor devils advocate

you see a bus flashing its light, you slow the fuck down and prepare to stop, under no circumstance should you be speeding past the bus at the posted speed limit

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 2:54 PM. Reason : f]

11/2/2011 2:53:08 PM

^ Exactly. If he was going 55 and he saw the lights on the bus flashing, he was going way too fast.

11/2/2011 2:56:05 PM

Quote :

"and there are no other objects there that could have hidden the boy till he just stepped onto the street? like trees, bushes, monuments to dead people, tall fences, etc?"

probably was nothing like that in the middle of the road blocking a giant fucking school bus with flashing red lights

11/2/2011 2:58:30 PM

apparantly,

11/2/2011 3:00:19 PM

"apparantly"

hey i am just trying to figure out what happened.

there are 2 sides: parents, and pickup driver.

about the parents, it is clear cut, they WEREN'T there, so IMO they are guilty of negligence.

about the pickup driver, it is not clear cut, as there are so many variables (speeds, distances, flashing lights, possible obstructions, etc), so i am just trying to figure out the circumstances. i never said the dude is not guilty.

11/2/2011 3:07:39 PM

negligence is a bullshit law. 8 year olds are DEFINITELY old enough to look both ways before crossing the road.

11/2/2011 3:09:46 PM

the driver said he saw the flashing lights and didn't stop.

meanwhile, the whereabouts of the parents are not mentioned.

none of us were there, but if you ignore the facts and add your own i'm not sure why you bother discussing the matter. if you're "trying to figure out the circumstances" one idea is to read the article.

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 3:12 PM. Reason : *]

11/2/2011 3:09:51 PM

Quote :

"about the parents, it is clear cut, they WEREN'T there, so IMO they are guilty of negligence."

Obviously that's your personal opinion. I don't think you're going to find too many cases where the parent was at fault for letting their 8 year old wait un-supervised at the end of the driveway for a school bus.

Should the parent be there?? Probably. Would they be found negligent in a court of law given the facts in this story?? Probably not.

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 3:12 PM. Reason : .]

11/2/2011 3:11:52 PM

I read the quoted article in the OP... thought that was the whole thing, and it didn't mention anything about the driver saying he saw the lights.

Anyway, I clicked the link and the article that comes up now is different from the one in the OP. It does say that he saw the lights AND THAT HE SLOWED DOWN, but didn't see the boy.

Also, it doesn't say anything about him confessing to be going at the speed limit.

As I said, there are too many variables, and every single witness will give a different account. "Fog of war" and all that.

As for the parents, I apologize, the article doesn't say they were there. However, had an adult been there with the child, the news story most probably would have mentioned it, as that is a HUGE factor, and the adult would have been interviewed as well, and mentioned by the police. Hence, the conclusion I drew is that there was no adult.

Quote :

"negligence is a bullshit law. 8 year olds are DEFINITELY old enough to look both ways before crossing the road."

So are 5 year olds. Would you let a 5 yo cross the road alone? P.S. And this 8 yo didn't, did he? Tragic, yes, but an 8 yo has no business crossing a road alone.

Quote :

"I don't think you're going to find too many cases where the parent was at fault for letting their 8 year old wait un-supervised at the end of the driveway for a school bus."

Waiting is different from crossing. I might let my child wait alone but I will also tell them that when the bus comes I will come outside and help them cross (I would watch from a window to see when the bus arrives).

Quote :

"Would they be found negligent in a court of law given the facts in this story?? Probably not."

Well, fair enough:

Quote :

"He [pickup driver] won't face any charges, Barber said."

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 3:25 PM. Reason : ]

11/2/2011 3:23:39 PM

he is going to get hammered for this

11/2/2011 3:28:20 PM

Quote :

"He [pickup driver] won't face any charges, Barber said."

He might not face any criminal charges, but he can still be sued.

11/2/2011 3:30:37 PM

Quote :

"he is going to get hammered for this "

This is a job for

11/2/2011 3:38:39 PM

Quote :

"o are 5 year olds. Would you let a 5 yo cross the road alone? P.S. And this 8 yo didn't, did he? Tragic, yes, but an 8 yo has no business crossing a road alone"

8,9,15,25,30, 45 year olds still get hit crossing the road every day.


Do you want their parents to be there, too?


Nimrod.

11/2/2011 3:40:29 PM

Where were this guy's parents!?!


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f52_1302875314

11/2/2011 3:42:53 PM

Where were these kid's parent's parents at when they got hit?!


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1ca_1284606167

11/2/2011 3:45:15 PM

The new article basically reads "Overzealous kid sees bus approach and runs in the street before bus stops and turns on the sign."

Way to crucify this guy before you actually heard the details TWW!

11/2/2011 3:52:43 PM

Quote :

"Boy in stable condition after being hit at bus stop"

LOL... the boy didn't even die

11/2/2011 3:54:21 PM

Yea saw the helo come in early this morning. Usually means its a traffic accident. Didn't know it was this boy, but glad he is stable now.

11/2/2011 3:57:29 PM

Quote :

"if its a 55mph road im pretty sure an alert driver would see a kid standing there, as i doubt theres much curvature to the road"

He may have been looking at the bus and trying to decide if it was "stopped" or not. It's easy to focus too much on one distraction and not be aware of the full situation.

That said, I'm disgusted by how inattentive most drivers are and there is a pretty good chance this guy fits the bill. I watched a truck run over a dog a couple weeks ago in broad daylight. All I could think is how terrible of a driver you must be if you don't see a medium sized dog in the middle of the road in broad daylight (it didn't dart out in front of the truck.)

[Edited on November 2, 2011 at 3:59 PM. Reason : s]

11/2/2011 3:58:38 PM

Quote :

"if its a 55mph road im pretty sure an alert driver would see a kid standing there, as i doubt theres much curvature to the road"

I grew up there. There are plenty of hills and curves and places where overgrown brush comes right up to the road.

11/2/2011 5:15:13 PM