Boy, 13, Struck and Killed While Training with Cross-Country Team
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accident on Thursday, October 6, 2011
The father of a 13-year-old St. Louis boy who was hit by a car and fatally injured while running with his school’s cross-country team praised his son as an artistic young man who did not let Asperger’s syndrome prevent him from living his life. The boy died a little more than a day after the car accident, which led school officials to stop the team from running on the street where it occurred.
Readers have likely seen high school and junior high cross-country teams training around the St. Louis area. Coaches usually take runners on a variety of routes to improve endurance, but sometimes there is not a sidewalk. One high school coach said that team safety is a constant concern. Most teams require coaches to supervise as much as possible, and many runs are held at golf courses and cemeteries to eliminate the risk of motor vehicle accidents.
Around 2:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, the victim was running with his teammates from the St. Louis Priory School on Conway Road west of Interstate 270. He was at the rear of the group, except for a coach who was trailing the team. The team was running on a sidewalk next to the street, but as a Honda Pilot came along, the victim stumbled into the street. The car struck him, severely injuring him. He was pronounced dead early in the morning of Sept. 30.
The victim’s father, who is chief of surgery at St. Louis University Hospital, hesitated to blame coaches or the school for the accident. He said that drivers should be careful to slow down when they see someone running near the road.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “Young runner’s death prompts review of routes,” Joel Currier, Oct. 01, 2011