FAIRWOOD, Wash. – On Monday evening, a tragic school bus vs pedestrian occurred near Mead High School, claiming the life of 20-year-old Eva Allen. Today, a woman shared her experience of comforting Allen at the scene.
Janice Maas recounted the events of that evening. She was inside her office next to the crosswalk when she heard a loud impact followed by screeching. The bus driver was audibly distraught. Maas supported Allen as other bystanders removed her backpack. By the time they flipped Allen over, first responders had arrived.
“It’s just so senseless, you know? I mean, what goes through your mind at the time? Nothing. You’re just trying so hard to help this person. But now what’s going through my mind is I believe it’s a senseless accident. I think that both that bus driver and that sweet little girl deserve things like better crosswalks, better lighting,” said Maas.
The woman suggested three improvements for the crosswalk: better lighting, a more visible crosswalk and a slower speed limit.
Several local business owners expressed willingness to fund some of these changes themselves. Nonstop Local has sent questions to Spokane County representatives regarding streetlights and what it would take to put more at that intersection and across our region. Still no answers to those questions, but we will continue to track this story.
