Thursday, November 8, 2012

Hit and Run: Nice Try, Gold Star

There is plenty of potential for tragedy in my life, but one thing I specifically hope never happens to me is getting hit by a car. I especially don't want to have this misfortune because by random chance two of my friends have been hit by cars and both lived to tell the tale. Hearing their stories gave me a horrible impression of what it must feel like. From the split second before impact—when you know you're about to get hit—to the excruciating pain after, I feel like I've lived through the experience myself. Unfortunately, a school cop from Meadowcreek High school recent had to suffer through this ordeal when he was caught in a hit-and-run by a student.
Officer Chuck McCallum is the man who was struck last Thursday while he was chasing down another student. The driver, Jarvis Ruff, a 17-year-old student, then fled the scene and left the injured officer. Other students quickly gathered to help him and call the police. The cops chased down Ruff, who had been driving erratically and unlicensed, making a desperate attempt to flee. They found him trying to enter an apartment complex through a back entrance. To make matters worse, Ruff had even crashed his car into the neighborhood sign. He was charged with hit-and-run, driving without a driver’s license, improper lane change, speeding, reckless driving, and failure to report striking a fixed object.
The question I get from this article is how someone can be so stupid. Obviously the incident happened in public, with witnesses who saw the car. There was no possibly of Ruff getting away with the crime. If he was trying to help the other fleeing student, Ruff could have done it in another way besides injuring the police officer. He easily deserved all the charges and whatever punishment is coming to him. Hopefully students who hear about this incident will be more careful driving and make better choices in the future.

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