Parents in Alabama are raising concerns and calling on officials to implement better road safety measures after a Mountain Gap middle schooler was fatally struck by a car while riding his bicycle.
The calls come three days after the young victim, identified as Kallel Fox, was struck and killed by a car while he was riding his bike at the intersection of Bailey Cove Road and Green Mountain Road. Parents argue that the former is a street that they are scared of, not because it was where Kal was killed.
Alabama Parents Raise Concern After Middle Schooler's Death
It is because they claim that these dangers in the area have already been around for several years and are now calling on authorities to do something about the issue. Local residents Melissa Autin and Ann Bagwell live in a neighborhood that is close enough to the area where Mountain Gap middle schoolers could walk or ride their bikes home.
However, they argue that this is something they never let happen, citing speeding drivers on Bailey Cove Road that threaten kids' safety. Autin added that because so many people are adamant about crossing that particular street, it has been named "psycho street," according to WAFF.
Bagwell noted that while she wants to give her kids the opportunity to ride their bikes home, they do not trust the other drivers who go through that area. The school bus cannot take Autin and Bagwell's children home because they live within two miles of Mountain Gap Middle School.
The parents argue that the situation has forced them to structure their jobs around picking up their children from school. Now, Huntsville City Councilwoman Jennie Robinson said she believes that access to buses is the safest solution that is currently available and is talking to Huntsville City Schools to extend bus services in closer neighborhoods.
Addressing Road Safety
At the time of the incident involving 13-year-old Fox, the Huntsville Police Department (HPD) said the boy suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital, but later died. It was later revealed that the teenager had already gotten home but was going somewhere nearby when the accident struck, News19 reported.
The HPD also said that it received various inquiries regarding potential charges against the driver of the car that fatally struck Fox. However, the department did not confirm whether or not any charges would be filed, as it is still waiting for toxicology reports for the driver.
The incident is still under investigation by the Traffic Homicide Unit, and Mountain Gap Middle School released a statement, adding that counselors are available for students and staff members, as per WAAY31.
