Guest column: People who hit Christian Schroom and drove away are shameless
Posted: December 27, 2012 - 12:17am
576 — This is the approximate number of times that Christian
Schroom’s heart beat on Nov. 18 before it was silenced by the brutal
impact of not one, but two vehicles.
Shortly after midnight, within hours of our city being illuminated with the Nights of Lights, Christian Schroom was riding his bicycle on Anastasia Boulevard to his home in Davis Shores. He did everything right concerning bicycle safety. He rode in the correct direction. He used a flashing taillight as well as a headlight. He even wore a reflective vest.
Yet despite Christian doing all of the right things, not one, but two drivers did the wrong thing. They hit him, ran over him and abandoned him broken and lying in the road as they fled into the dark. Christian was a resident of St. Augustine. He lived in my neighborhood. He worked in our community.
103,680 — This is the approximate number of times Christian’s heart would have beaten if he had lived to the end of that day. Christian should have lived many more days, months, and years. His heart should have beaten millions of more times as he experienced the joys of living.
2 — This is the number of drivers who hit and ran over Christian Schroom without stopping. This is also the number of bicyclists in our community killed recently by hit and run drivers.
0 — This is the number of future bicycle fatalities and ghost bikes in our community if drivers and bicyclists use safe operating practices.
Priceless — This is the value of a clean conscience. I’m addressing the drivers of the vehicles who killed Christian Schroom. You have burdened the hearts of his friends and relatives with your silence. You have also burdened the hearts of your friends and relatives with your guilt by imposing on them a life sentence of silence. My husband and I did the right thing. We stopped when we saw Christian lying in the middle of the road. His heart had beaten for the last time on that cold, damp street but he wasn’t alone. Do the right thing and give his family the best Christmas gift of all … answers.
Shortly after midnight, within hours of our city being illuminated with the Nights of Lights, Christian Schroom was riding his bicycle on Anastasia Boulevard to his home in Davis Shores. He did everything right concerning bicycle safety. He rode in the correct direction. He used a flashing taillight as well as a headlight. He even wore a reflective vest.
Yet despite Christian doing all of the right things, not one, but two drivers did the wrong thing. They hit him, ran over him and abandoned him broken and lying in the road as they fled into the dark. Christian was a resident of St. Augustine. He lived in my neighborhood. He worked in our community.
103,680 — This is the approximate number of times Christian’s heart would have beaten if he had lived to the end of that day. Christian should have lived many more days, months, and years. His heart should have beaten millions of more times as he experienced the joys of living.
2 — This is the number of drivers who hit and ran over Christian Schroom without stopping. This is also the number of bicyclists in our community killed recently by hit and run drivers.
0 — This is the number of future bicycle fatalities and ghost bikes in our community if drivers and bicyclists use safe operating practices.
Priceless — This is the value of a clean conscience. I’m addressing the drivers of the vehicles who killed Christian Schroom. You have burdened the hearts of his friends and relatives with your silence. You have also burdened the hearts of your friends and relatives with your guilt by imposing on them a life sentence of silence. My husband and I did the right thing. We stopped when we saw Christian lying in the middle of the road. His heart had beaten for the last time on that cold, damp street but he wasn’t alone. Do the right thing and give his family the best Christmas gift of all … answers.
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