Young Lives Lost
The man who hit and killed girls in a crosswalk had a suspended license, police officials said.
Staff Editorial
Halloween is a holiday for children. It is their time to wield superpowers or be a favorite charater — and collect free candy.
That makes the hit-and-run deaths of three 13-year-old Santa Ana girls on Oct. 31 especially sad.
Even worse, it was 100 percent preventable.
The middle schoolers are dead because Jaquinn Bell disregarded the law.
It was the driver’s second hit and run this year, after a DUI arrest that got his license suspended.
Unlicensed drivers are a big problem in California, where about two million people are driving without a license at any given time, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Many of these drivers lose their licenses because they endangered others while behind the wheel.
There’s a reason they shouldn’t be driving, and when they do there is little anyone can do to protect themselves.
Too often, a ticket or even jail time are not enough punishment to deter some of these drivers.
But if people realize that they could be responsible for killing someone’s child, maybe fewer will take a chance. Each person must recognize their own responsibility.
If he had just followed the rules, those girls would have been able to get their candy and get home safely.
