Tragedy on the freeway
The Latino community in Los Angeles is mourning the tragic freeway accident that took the lives of Los Angeles Unified School District students.
The loss of young peoples’ lives is always a tragedy. In this case, it is even more painful, since these students died as they were on their way to begin a new life as college students.
Every one of the students traveling on the bus en route to Humboldt State University represented the future of our community: low-income students with the challenge of overcoming the obstacles faced by students who are the first in their families to attend college. What happened was unimaginable.
We share our condolences with the parents and families of the young people and adults who died in the terrible accident. While the survivors will live with the scars and the bitter memories of what should have been an educational trip and ended up a tragedy.
As a community, we are pained by the death of each of the young people who dreamed of getting ahead through academics and ended up in this nightmare. We feel the impact of the loss of the human and professional potential that these young people could have provided had a truck not crossed in their path head-on.
Investigations will determine the human responsibilities and potential mechanical failures, and may lead to the implementation of safety recommendations. The goal is to prevent this kind of accident from recurring. That is all good, but is no consolation for the sadness that absorbs us for having lost these valuable young lives.
