If any of you have heard about the accident on Brinkley Road near Fisher Road in the past week where the two Crossland students were struck near the bus stop by a speeding driver that also struck a mini van with a family in it. The car struck a 14 year old and then struck the mini van which spin and struck a 17 year old boy standing at the stop.
The 14 year old girl died this week from her injuries.
I also learn that a rader speed trailer that was placed at the location of the after the accident was struck and damaged this week.
Speed cameras will be going up in the schools zones soon. I have also heard that children and crossing guards have had a time trying to get children across the street at school zones because of the speed of drivers near schools.
I have seen some of Crossland students take dares to cross the streets near the school. They dare drivers to hit them the way the way they cross to the McDonalds.

OMG What will kids think of to do for fun next? Whatever happened to playing ball in the front yard til the dinner bell rings (sharon road), following the creek all the way back to John Guinns house?,climbing trees in the woods (which are no longer there) and taking a lunch along the way, and having your dog follow you all the way home?
wish they all could slow down and smell the roses!

That's right Katie! There was a time when there were still lots of hidden places to explore!! All the woods that surrounded the creek that tumbled under a foot bridge at the end of Dalton Rd. & Sharon Rd. bring back great memories for me. Before we moved to Alcon Drive we lived at the dead end of Rayburn Drive. Beyond the dead end was a good stand of trees and woods. When I was very small (about 7, 8 years old) I would walk down into the woods, very far back, and gather up leaves in the fall to make a huge nest. I would pretend that I was an eagle and built up my home till it was very deep. Then when I was done I would just lay down in it, all alone, with the Fall sun shining down. There would be cool breezes by this time of the season but that sun kept me very cozy. It was so quiet out there....couldn't hear people or lawnmowers or cars or barking dogs or your siblings arguing over something stupid. I was always tempted to just stay there until night came. But I didn't'. I can't imagine any 7 year old wandering into the woods by themselves for hours on end these days. Maybe it still exists somewhere, but not in too many places. Anyway, how did I get on this subject? It was supposed to be about an accident on Brinkley Road. The accident that I remember very vividly involved the girls whose family was hosting the British exchange student at Crossland. I can’t remember the year it happened but I do remember lying in bed at night, windows open and hearing a terrible screeching of breaks and tires and crunching of metal and then screaming. That was quickly followed by the sounds of the ambulance rushing to the accident site. It happened on Middleton Lane at the very bottom of the road, the lowest point along the road. Apparently the girl tried to run across the street to beat an approaching car and she didn’t make it. She was in very serious condition with major orthopedic injuries for a very long time. Maybe somebody can remember her name or more details of the accident. It happened very near Curtis Martz house at Middleton Lane and Woodsy Way. I lived at least ¾ of a mile away and still heard the crash. Probably the absolute worst accident I coped with was when Patti Ronkovich’s brother Steve died when we were in Taney. It happened on Career Day at Crossland and he and a few buddies were driving with Steve in his Volkswagen Beetle. Steve used to drive me, Patty, Val Lamont and one or two others to school as part of a car pool arrangement in our neighborhood. Don’t know how all of us fit into that bug, but we did! Anyway, I remember looking out my kitchen window the night that he died and seeing our entire street filled with teenagers crying and hugging and holding each other. Patty’s house was directly across from my house. The vigil continued for days until the funeral was over. It was just such a devastating event for Patty and her family, but also for the Crossland community. Steve was a very popular kid at Crossland. Patty if you read this, I hope you won’t be upset that I mention this. You and I have talked before about what an impact that had on so many people. He was a wonderful guy! Katie – I’ll blame you for stirring up so many memories and causing this post to be way too long. Love ya anyway – take care - Kathy

Didnt it feel good tho? I liked it........I was the same way, looking for a spot to go hide away and wonder if anyone missed me..........that dinner bell rang pretty violently sometimes and some rings were for me!K

WOW! A long post! Hmmm!! Naaa!! Not eneough time. LOL Thanks for sharing all of that though Kathy Mac! I liked it as well. I had no idea about any of it having grown up over off of T.H. road though but makes me feel better that others reminisce as I'm capable of at times.

Sorry I was so wordy in my last post!! I guess I was waxing nostalgic and lost track of how long the post was...

No apology needed!!

Dear Kathy Mac Sorry I took SOOOOOOOOOOOOO long to reply to this thread, but I haven't "lurked" in a while! The girl y'all are speaking of was/is one of sister's (Andrea <Hollomon> Foster/CHS '75) best friends Lisa Harrington also CHS '75. Her Dad was a USAF Col. & looked like a clone of Chuck Connors "The Rifleman" only meaner looking. He was a real nice guy once you got to know him & was an EXPERT w/ all sorts of firearms especially pistols! We kids NEVER played in his yard & when my sister went to visit she always kept to the driveway & sidewalk ONLY. He was a real Freak about his lawn!!! I remember that accident as Lisa suffered a broken Femur/thigh bone & spent the whole summer in Malcolm Grow Hosp in traction w/ 2 pins thru her shine bone & like 20 lbs of weights to support her leg. They were quite the family as her older sister, Jan Harrington CHS '71 got the Exchange student from England & then Lisa's senior year she got a guy from South Africa who sounded more English than the English girl had. Well gotta run! Andy Hollomon

Thanks for filling in all those details Andy!!! Hope you had a terrific Thanksgiving with all your beautiful "girls" surrounding you!