CNHI News Service
KOSCIUSKO —
We crawl behind the wheel of a car several times a day without giving a single thought to the fact that a vehicle driven carelessly can be as dangerous as a loaded gun.
Wednesday, February 22, approximately 9 a.m., I leave my home for my morning walk. I walk up to the four-way stop at South Natchez and East Jefferson Street. Even though I have the right-away, I check the traffic. There is not one car to be seen other than a small dark, perhaps a SUV driven by women approaching the stop sign directly in front of The Chamber of Commerce office. I begin to walk across the South Natchez in the direction of the chamber. The next thing I know the front of that car is staring me in the face! The car swerves and somehow avoids hitting me.
I see fear in the woman’s face as she passes in front of me driving on the wrong side of the street.
Lady, you came within two feet of killing or injuring me for life all because you, for whatever reason, you did not make a proper turn. Had you made a proper turn, instead of cutting the corner short, you would have passed behind me, for I was halfway across the street when you almost ran me over.
I watch as you turn into the parking lot behind the bank and wonder is she going to do the right thing, and at the least, come back and apologize. Sadly, you didn’t. I thank the Lord for saving me, and I walk on.
I suspect that you drive down that street every day to work. I hope that from now on when you pull up to that four-way stop sign and make that left-hand turn, you do it properly. God spared both us Wednesday morning, me from suffering injury or death, and you from having to spend the rest of your life knowing that had you done the right thing, it would not have happened.
The moral of this story is accidents can happen at any time any place. It doesn’t matter that I did nothing wrong and that I was in the pedestrian crosswalk. It doesn't matter that I had the right-away and that the streets were empty, save for you and me.
Perhaps you were late for work and thought since it appeared that there was no one around, committing a minor traffic violation wouldn’t hurt. But you see there was someone else around that you missed seeing and the results could have been disastrous.
Jewette Battles
Kosciusko
