Fatal accident
In this morning’s edition of the Belleville News-Democrat (and on various St. Louis-area news websites), there was a story about a fatal accident that took place in nearby Smithton, Illinois. Three 18-year-olds, who had graduated from Freeburg High School just hours prior, had somehow gotten involved in a single-car crash, and one of the passengers died. The driver was, evidently, the recent prom king from Freeburg. The female passenger was the prom queen and cheerleading captain at Freeburg High School, and she was the one who was killed in the accident. The third rider was another guy. I think one of the guys is in serious condition; the other critical.
I didn’t know any of the three people involved in the accident, but it really hits close to home to hear about something like this happening. I think about back to January of this year, when we learned a new friend of the family’s, Elizabeth, had died in an accident. I just feel for this other girl’s (her name is Jennifer, by the way) parents, family and friends. Please be praying for everyone involved as they deal with this tragedy.
From what I have read, it doesn’t seem that alcohol played a role in the accident, but the police do believe that speed may have. I don’t know that we’ll ever know for sure what the cause was, but it just makes me all the more want to exercise safe driving habits. 99.9 percent of the time, it might not matter. But for that fraction of a percent when it could matter, I want to have every possible advantage I can have. I don’t want my life (or anyone else’s, for that matter) to be cut short due to careless driving — or simply lack of vigilance. So this just all the more makes me want to be as safe and smart as I can be. Because even then, there still are going to be drunk drivers out there; there still are going to be hazardous conditions. I want to at least do everything that I can to be safe. The rest, I figure, is in God’s hands. I don’t mind going whenever He says it’s time; I just don’t want irresponsibility to be the cause.
Anyway, please keep praying for Jennifer, her family, friends and the family and friends of the other two guys! Pray that God would comfort everybody and give them an incredible peace through this tough time. God is faithful!
Finally, a message to you. Be careful! If not for you, then for your passengers or the car across the yellow stripe. It can be fun to zip around and stuff, but it’s stupid if you’re just being dangerous. Be smart; drive carefully.