Tuesday night in Denton, a teenage skateboarder was hit and killed by a pickup truck that didn’t see him trying to cross FM Road 1830.
Steven Fisher, only a few days shy of 17, was out skateboarding with his stepbrother and friend when he was struck by the truck. The dark stretch of road has a sidewalk, but the skateboarders were not able to see it at night.
The timing of the accident was particularly tragic both because of Steven’s approaching birthday and because of the Valentine’s Day holiday. “I’m never going to forget what happened,” Steven’s stepbrother Tristan Reagan said. “Valentine’s Day is supposed to be happy.”
Technically, the truck had the right of way. The 22 year-old pickup driver was driving within the 45 miles per hour speed limit. He stopped to help after the accident and he also passed a sobriety test. The driver had several friends with him, including one who is training to be a paramedic and who rendered aid.
The accident has left behind a grieving family who are asking themselves– what could have been done to prevent this? The driver was following the law, so maybe it’s the laws that need to change. Steven’s family is asking for the city to put up more lights where the accident happened to prevent future pedestrians from being unseen. They are also asking for lower speed limits.
