Changes coming to Aurora intersection after outcry over boy's death from being struck while riding scooter
Changes are being made to an intersection in Aurora where a 12-year-old boy was struck and killed over the weekend while riding a scooter. It's a signaled crosswalk on Iliff Avenue and South Wheel Park Circle, part of the Cherry Creek Spillway.
A city crew was out at the intersection Tuesday afternoon, trimming shrubs and grasses in the median. It may seem like a basic landscaping job, but it may be the start of clearing the way for the improved safety neighbors in the area have been asking for the last several years. Some residents said they've repeatedly asked for the city to cut back trees and shrubs that may be blocking the view of crosswalks.
"Every time I'm in the crosswalk, I'm worried I'm going to get hit," said Gloria Holloway, who lives nearby. "If you're not familiar with this area, that specific crosswalk you might not even know is there. People just don't slow down for the crosswalk."
After CBS News Colorado's coverage of the neighborhood's concerns, Aurora City Councilmember At-Large Danielle Jurinsky turned calls for change into action.
"It's obvious to me that something needs to be done," Jurinsky said of the signaled crosswalk intersection. "You can see…I already requested that the city come out and take out all of these huge weeds and maybe a barrier to sight."
That possible barrier is not what caused the death of the 12-year-old boy at the intersection. Rather, Aurora police said, he was killed by a 19-year-old driver who wasn't paying attention.
"He was talking with his passenger," Aurora Police Lt. Chris Amsler said during a news conference Tuesday.
While trimmed weeds and trees can't change how drivers act behind the wheel, the little bit of landscaping aims to make a big difference for the neighborhood.
"There are no words that I can say to them that I can make them feel better, but what I can say is I will not let this child's life end in vain," Jurinsky said of the family of the child who was killed.
She said she would like to perhaps see a pedestrian bridge replace the crosswalk to instead go over the busy six-lane road and have it dedicated in memory of the boy who died.
