On Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, a school bus was on its way from Pontiac High School down Centre Street in Shawville to pick up students at McDowell Elementary. The bus, already carrying some PHS students, stopped at the crosswalk on Centre Street at the PPJ to let a student cross. Moments later, that student was hit by a car driving north*.
I was on the bus behind the stopped bus and witnessed the accident. I watched the girl get hit and roll over the car, to then land on the sidewalk, I remember feeling nervous and scared as I knew and worked with the girl a few times. I wanted to help, but I could not as I was not allowed off the bus. I also recall hearing, “Someone call 9-1-1” and, “Call the ambulance,” over the bus radio. I watched the scenario happening outside.
My friend Summer was walking ahead of the girl who got hit and had crossed just moments before. I talked to her afterwards, and she recalled turning around, dropping her bag, and immediately running to the girl to ensure she was okay. She also said she felt unsure of what was going to happen with the pedestrian’s condition and how the accident was going to be handled.
I remember going back to school the following Tuesday and hearing that she came out with only a few road burns and maybe a twisted ankle.
While we were all relieved the student was okay, this accident raised some questions within the student body: “How much of a difference do the new crosswalk lights make?” and, “Are we even safe to cross there?” It’s scary to think that what happened to this student could happen to any of us.
As a PHS student, I use this crosswalk regularly and have realized that during the day, the crosswalk lights are not super visible. But at night, they work very well. So this just shows that you can’t rely on the crosswalk lights alone and expect people to stop immediately. As a pedestrian, you must also remember to look both ways before crossing, and for those driving, make sure you’re paying attention.
I believe the crosswalk light needs a little improvement, but it was a wonderful idea and makes crossing at night safer. My opinion is that this accident brought up some good questions and safety concerns that needed to be addressed.
*Since THE EQUITY last reported on the Oct. 11 accident on Centre Street in Shawville, Sûreté du Québec sergeant Marc Tessier has confirmed that the pedestrian was hit by a car travelling northbound on Centre Street after she crossed in front of the school bus, which was travelling southbound but had stopped to let her cross at the crosswalk.
