Weather part of problem in high school crash

By Jon Johnson
Assistant Editor
Published on Sunday, December 2, 2007 6:01 PM MST

Speed and slick roads almost led to a deadly situation at Safford High School on Thursday afternoon.

Student Shannon McRae, 17, lost control of a 2007 Jeep Liberty she was driving and plowed into a parked GMC van in the school’s north parking lot at about 1:13 p.m.

The impact of the collision caused the van to slam up against another parked car, a white Pontiac Grand Prix, nearly pinning a student who was between them. The student was knocked to the ground and not seriously injured.

A Safford officer interviews high school student Shannon McRae about her accident. McRae crashed a 2007 Jeep Liberty into a parked GMC van at the Safford High School Thursday afternoon. Contributed photo

According to the Safford Police, McRae said she was running late for a class at Eastern Arizona College and lost control on the road’s slippery surface.

Police Chief John Griffin said motorists should take care to drive slower when there is inclement weather.

“It looks like she was going too fast, skidded on the asphalt and plowed into the van,” he said. “It’s lucky nobody was seriously hurt.”

According to Griffin, since the accident took place on the private property of the school, the only traffic offense McRae could have been cited for was DUI or reckless driving.

He said McRae wasn’t under the influence, and he did not feel the accident met the requirements for reckless driving, so McRae was not cited. She was found at fault, however, and will have to deal with insurance company claims.

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Comments

8 comment(s)

Curious George wrote on Dec 7, 2007 10:45 AM:

" What Rubbish!!! Eyewittness account tells of a very frustrated inexperienced driver taking out her angst and "peeling out" under conditions that called for more maturity... She should be ticked for: Reckless driving and failure to control a vehicle. Without a citation, the owners of the other two vehicles will have to have their insurance pick up the tab for the damages. Shouldn't McRae's insurance be dinged for her lack of maturity?? "

Baffled wrote on Dec 4, 2007 11:19 PM:

" Driving that fast in a parking lot is reckless. She didn't just hit another car, but slammed into it so hard that the impact moved another car. It sounds like there were several witnesses that say she was mad and driving fast. This accident could have happened regardless of the weather. I agree a ticket was in order. I believe officers have the power to discern. Why did they not recognize that this was a result of an irresponsible driver? "

Pete wrote on Dec 4, 2007 9:52 AM:

" I didn't know school property was private, I thought it was owned by taxpayers and therefore was public property. "

... wrote on Dec 4, 2007 1:43 AM:

" I also heard she was just angry and leaving the school in a hurry. She should know that you don't go that fast in a SCHOOL parking lot, especially during school hours. I think she should have recieved a citation for reckless driving instead of just a slap on the wrist. "

informed citizen wrote on Dec 3, 2007 7:34 PM:

" Like the article says, the only citeable offenses on private property are DUI and Reckless Driving. It's not a matter of looking the other way, it's a matter of where the law applies. Educate yourselves on the law before you lambaste the "small town authorities" with your ignorance. On the other hand, Shannon would have probably been cited for "failure to control", had this occurred on a public roadway. "

guy wrote on Dec 3, 2007 10:25 AM:

" If speed and weather caused this accident, I believe there is a statute that says you must slow down the keep control. And in a school parking lot speeding is as deadly as a gun. Yes a citation was in order. To often in this small town authorites look the other way, when in fact a ticket would serve as a wake up call for all. "

concerned parent wrote on Dec 3, 2007 8:33 AM:

" I heard she was in a snit, jumped in her car and peeled out just before this happened. That would be a better explanation as to how fast she must have been going in order to push one car into another. Thank God the boy in between wasn't killed because of her recklessness! "

What No Ticket? wrote on Dec 2, 2007 8:42 PM:

" I thought Safford High was a public school. Wouldn't the school grounds be public property? "

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