School stresses safety after student seriously injured

By Dave Clark

Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008 | midnight

After an 11-year-old student was seriously injured while crossing Eastern Avenue, Del Webb Middle School is sending home a letter to parents with information about pedestrian and bicycle safety.

The girl was struck by a large commercial truck Aug. 27 as she was crossing Eastern Avenue near Summit Grove Drive, police said.

Police said she was not in the crosswalk and walking against the traffic signal when a large truck traveling northbound on Eastern hit her around 2:50 p.m.

She was transported to University Medical Center's Trauma Center.

The driver of the truck, 30-year-old Brandon Gorman, has not been cited, police said.

Henderson Police Department spokesman Todd Rasmussen called the injuries serious.

The school is asking parents to talk to students about safety.

"Our staff is very concerned about student safety," Principal Paula Naegle said. "Whenever something like this happens we're all reminded how important it is to talk with children about those basic things."

Naegle noted the school has many students who walk and ride bikes to and from school. The recent injury occurred roughly a mile and a half from Del Webb.

Naegle said the school speaks with students about these issues at the beginning of each year, stressing how to cross streets and exit buses safely.

The school is also hosting weekly 20-minute bicycle safety classes beginning Sept. 11 after school.

Naegle stressed the importance of students not listening to iPods and talking on cell phones while bicycling.

But the safety information is not being solely directed at students. Naegle urged parents to use extreme caution when driving by the school.

"We have parents making U-turns right out in front of the school," she said. "That's extremely dangerous. We're asking all drivers to be cautious and careful for our children's sake."

Dave Clark is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 990-2677 or [email protected].