Cody School Zone Crash a Simple Case of Driver Inattention
Written by Andrew-Rossi on March 25, 2021
An accident in front of Eastside Elementary School was an injury-free incident of driver inattention – not another violation of school zone laws in Cody.
Around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Cody Police Department responded to a vehicle accident scene at 16th Street and Salisbury Avenue. This placed it right in front of Eastside Elementary School.
Lieutenant Jason Stafford of the Cody PD was one of the officers on the scene. He described the incident, which seems straightforward and luckily without injury.
A white Dodge pickup truck was traveling southbound in the outer lane on 16th Street. A truck and trailer were driving in the inner lane.
At the Salisbury Avenue intersection, the truck and trailer started turning left. A red sedan – already waiting at the traffic light – proceeded out into the intersection.
The sedan hit the Dodge pickup truck, spinning it around. Several police officers and the Cody Fire Department responded soon after.
Both vehicles had to be towed, but there were no injuries associated with the crash.
Traffic wasn’t stopped or even slowed down by much. The entire scene was quickly cleared.
The driver of the red sedan did receive a citation for the crash.
“(The driver) made a statement that they weren’t really paying attention,” Lieutenant Stafford said.
Excessive speed was not a factor in the accident. If it were, an additional fine would be added as everything happened in the middle of a school zone.
Driver inattention has become a growing concern for both the City of Cody and Park County School District #6. After numerous student-vehicle incidents, Cody drivers have been asked to exercise more caution while driving around schools.
A plea went out earlier in March 2020 asking drivers to acknowledge school bus stop arms. Several incidents of drivers ignoring stop arms have been reported, which endangers students crossing the road.
The Cody Police Department has pledged to increase its efforts to stop these illegal activities. Violators are being found thru school bus video footage, and more citations will be issued.
While Wednesday’s incident was not a result of illegal driving in a school zone, it’s an important reminder of the importance of safe driving on all Cody roads, regardless of their proximity to a school.
