Halloween was safe thanks to officers
Published 9:40 am Tuesday, November 4, 2014
We would like to take this opportunity to thank law enforcement across Southwest Louisiana for all they did to keep our children safe on Halloween.
Other regions of the country weren’t so lucky.
In Walker, a dozen people were injured when a SUV rear-ended the back of a trailer being used for a Halloween hayride. The trailer, with about 20 children, was being pulled by an all-terrain vehicle driven. It’s illegal to drive an off-road vehicle on a Louisiana road and to drive one along a road shoulder more than 30 minutes after sunset. Police also said the trailer wasn’t properly lit.
In Los Angeles, a SUV was used in a Halloween night hit-and-run that killed three teenage girls. Dressed in costumes and carrying candy bags, the 13-year-old girls were in a crosswalk near an elementary school in Santa Ana when the SUV with two men inside hit them, police and fire officials said. Two of them were declared dead immediately, and a third died as paramedics prepared to take her to a hospital.
Authorities in Washington state said two 7-year-old girls and a 20-year-old woman sustained life-threatening injuries when they were hit by a car while trick-or-treating in Vancouver. Police said a car jumped a curb and hit the trio.
In New York state, a 3-year-old boy was killed and a 16-year-old girl was seriously injured when they were hit by a car while trick-or-treating. The car struck the children as they crossing a two-lane road, police said.
A 2-year-old in Florida trick-or-treating with a group died when he was hit by a bus. He was in a stroller with two other children when the adult pushing them across a street realized he had dropped his cellphone. The man stopped the stroller in the median and told the children to stay while he retrieved the phone. The child got out of the stroller and was hit by a driver who did not see him in the street, authorities said.
Our local law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics put their lives on the line every day — Halloween is no different. While our children were going door-to-door they combing the streets, too.
The next time you see one of our public servants, thank them. It might be the best reward they ever get.
