'They were laying in the road': A mother's call for crosswalks
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OAKRIDGE, Ore. - Autumn Grilho still can't believe what happened.
"It kind of felt like a dream, kind of," she said. "You know, like none of this was actually happening."
The 13-year-old Oakridge resident, her sister Summer and a friend were crossing Highway 58 around 7 p.m. Sunday when they were hit by a car.
"I remember seeing the hood of the car, my head bounced off the windshield. I remember flying in the air and hitting my head on the curb."
Their mother Stefanie Butler was just down the road when it happened.
"All of the sudden I see these lights going down and they all stopped here," Butler said. "And my children were laying, both of them, one by the telephone pole, one by the light."
Both girls were rushed to the hospital with head and foot injuries.
Butler said she is frustrated that there aren't more crosswalks across busy Hwy 58. She said that she thinks if there were more places to cross safely that accidents like this could be prevented.
"There's only one crosswalk on this road and that is up at Ray's Market which is probably a good quarter mile maybe even a mile up on top of the hill up there." said Butler.
As a result, she said, most people take a chance crossing Hwy 58 wherever they are, rather than using the crosswalk.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, between 2002 and 2011 only one pedestrian crash was reported on this stretch of road.
Still, Butler wants to see more designated areas to cross.
"There needs to be a safe place for them to do that," she said. "This is not going to be the first or probably the last if there's no safe place for them to cross."
The officer investigating the crash for the Oakridge Police Department was not immediately available Monday afternoon for comment on the crash.
there is a crosswalk right by dairy queen maybe 100 feet away that leads to the general store parking lot or the fenced in sidewalk area, there is also a crosswalk by mannings so there are more than just the one by rays. I'm just saying the town has more than one crosswalk.
there is a crosswalk right by dairy queen maybe 100 feet away that leads to the general store parking lot or the fenced in sidewalk area
If there has only been one accident, in all these years with all this traffic, then I don't think it is the lack of crosswalks. We live in a VERY RURAL area. No crosswalks, lots of through traffic., often speeding. We teach our kids about fast traffic, how to cross, how to be visible. We haven't had a child or adult hit out here ever. You really can't even count on crosswalks. People get hit in crosswalks, too. They are just lines on the pavement.  I think teaching safety is better. If there is a crosswalk, by all means please use it but be careful. Not all cars obey they law.
Sorry to say, I bet those kids would cross 20 feet away from a cross walk for convenience like all the other sheep in the Eugene/Springfield area. I see it daily on Gateway where the light turns red and blinks, giving a safe crossing. But yet people skip walking 15 feet up to it and pressing the safe button and instead run out in front of traffic anyway. Sum it up that luck was on those kids side and they where not killed. Its a 35 MPH zone through town and then 45 as you leave town near the rest area. Those kids are home and moping about being slightly injured.
I do agree that there should be more crosswalks. I also think that people need to drive the speed limit through town (I believe it's 25mph). I also believe that both drivers and pedestrians need to be conscientious in that area. It's a busy highway that runs through the town. I'm surprised that more pedestrian vs. car crashes haven't happened.
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I hope the girls recover well.Â
@SAB17 Actually, it is 35 mph for most of it; 45 mph for the rest and then back to 55..
More crosswalks across a busy highway? That is just stupid. Teach your kids how to cross a street. The highway exists for commerce to get through. We need to change some laws. Like no more assumed crosswalks. People think they can just walk in front of a moving car. And thanks to our "Governor" they have the legal right to.Â
If it has been 9 years since a pedestrian was hit, (back when this pedestrian was four years old) maybe paint on the road isn't as important as teaching and learning safety. Sunset yestereday in Oakridge, Oregon was 7:06 PM. Not the best time to cross the road.Â