WHY?

"Why" is just a simple and small word in spelling but carries big shoulders!

It's one of the first words a child learns to use to figure out what is going on in the world around him/her.  It helps a child to learn and should never be ignored or gone unanswered.

This past week was certainly a "WHY" week.

Monday evening a young teenage boy was struck by a vehicle at a high rate of speed on a road that I drive on at least twice daily, but usually 4 times a day.  The driver decided to flee the scene leaving the injured child in her wake to die on the side of the road.  I didn't have the pleasure of meeting this child, but he was a classmate of my niece and known by my sister-in-law, and a friend of my friend's son.  Although my connection to this child is much like one describes their 6 degrees of connection to Kevin Bacon - the impact of this accident still hurt me to the core.  I think because I have children and I couldn't fathom losing one of my kids to death, and especially to an accident of this magnitude.

Then you think, WHY does this have to happen to a young boy who - by so many descriptions - was an exceptional person through and through?  WHY was his life cut short when it was just getting started?  WHY did this have to happen to his family and friends?  Answers that no one really can answer no matter how hard they try.  The simple form of an answer is that it was his time and God was calling him home.  As much as that is supposed to bring peace, it doesn't really for the people he has left behind.  As they lost someone they loved deeply and the bruise to their heart will never truly fade completely.

The question that really has bothered me all week long is WHY did the driver flee the scene?  I've driven down that road and it is not a very well lit road at dusk or night.  I can see how a driver could accidentally hit something on the side of the road as the road is also narrow, couple that with darkness and an accident like that can happen.  As horrifying as the incident was, it was an accident until the person fled the scene and attempted to hide the evidence by taking a car into a body shop to get it fixed.  Fixing it without putting in an insurance claim and paying cash for it.

When things like this happen, where a person "accidentally" hits another with their vehicle you often feel for the person who caused the accident because you know they will live with the fact that they killed another person.  In this case, it's so hard to feel sorry for this person because they were more concerned about getting caught than stopping their vehicle to see what/who they hit and to offer help.  I just don't understand WHY this person left the scene.  There is no excuse that would be plausible enough for me.

They will find the person because enough evidence has been collected.  This person will suffer some pretty heavy consequences for their actions - and I personally hope the book is thrown at this person.  I could have forgiven this person had they stopped instead of fleeing - I don't know if I could forgive this person now for what they have done.

God bless the family and friends of this young teenager!  I will drive that road daily and think of this child.  Earth's loss is Heaven's gain!  Rest in peace young man!