BARRINGTON — At first glance, it was nothing more than a black Ford Mustang flipped onto its side and leaning awkwardly against an old wooden bench at the corner of Martin Avenue and Sunset Drive. No injuries. Minimal damage to the car. Forty minutes worth of clean-up.
But what this accident could have been — deadly and devastating — should send shockwaves of concern throughout the community.
The accident took place on Friday morning at 7:20, about 4 or 5 minutes before a half-dozen Sowams School students arrived at their bus stop. The youngsters congregate each weekday morning in front of the benches where the black Ford Mustang went airborne and slammed into the ground.
How small was the window of time between a harmless single-car accident and what could have been the deaths of five or six elementary school students and their parents?
Too small.
The driver of the Mustang, a 17-year-old Barrington High School student, said his car’s tires got wet and he lost control of his vehicle while pulling onto Martin from Massasoit. He said he was driving the speed limit — 25 miles per hour. The folks at the bus stop and anyone else who saw the accident aftermath will likely tell a different story. It’s hard to believe a car traveling 25 miles per hour would flip headlong after hitting a short asphalt curb.
What is most clear now, a few days after the harrowing experience, is that motorists need to slow down. It is time that we recognize the destructive potential every time we get into our cars and turn the key. It is time we make a conscious effort to drive slower on local roadways, that we ease off the gas and touch the brakes when passing bus stops, that we give a wide berth to folks walking their dogs and others riding their bikes.
Fast cars have killed Barrington residents in the past, and almost killed a handful last Friday morning.
Please slow down.
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