A Washington resident’s death sparks change among the community
Following the death of Jerry Armstrong, known by his community as “Scooter,” community members are coming together to address issues with weather conditions.
55-year-old Jerry Armstrong was hit by two vehicles and killed upon trying to cross the street on Route 8 and School Street in Washington on Wednesday, February 9.
On the evening of February 9, the sidewalks were not cleared from the snow that had fallen earlier in the day. Armstrong’s brother-in-law, Jeff Stanton, stated that these conditions likely contributed to the accident.
“There’s nobody that can say these sidewalks didn’t play a factor in that,” Stanton told WEEK 25 News.
Shoveling for Scooter
The local community knows Armstrong by the name “Scooter,” as he was always scooting around town. A group of more than a dozen Washington residents came together the day after “Scooter’s” death to clear the sidewalks, spending hours shoveling snow on the sidewalks from Cherry Ln. to School St. to prevent any similar incidents from occurring.
Cammi Waldrop, a sophomore at Washington Community High School, took part in organizing and participating in the shoveling event. On February 9, the day of Armstrong’s death, Waldrop couldn’t wait on the sidewalk for her school bus due to the piles of snow and ice.
“I couldn’t walk on the sidewalk and I had to stand on the side of the highway instead, which was extremely scary,” Waldrop said.
Waldrop took her concern to “Washington Strong,” a Facebook group that gives Washington residents a platform to share and discuss current issues. Many people viewed the post, which led to an adult taking on the organizational role of the shoveling event.
“The roads get terrible when it snows and we don’t get the proper clean up we need, so we just do it ourselves,” Waldrop said. “We all ended up shoveling every sidewalk in Sunnyland that night.”
Change Is On the Way
Armstrong’s death drew attention to a multitude of issues and similar struggles faced by residents within the town. Many people in the Washington community rely on the sidewalks to be cleared and safe. There are many elders that walk for exercise every day, in addition to children that live close enough to their school that they can walk.
Many residents have spoken up on “Washington Strong,” where they have shared their personal experiences as well as their witnessing of not providing proper right of way to pedestrians.
One resident, Cynthia Kersh, expressed her concern for pedestrians’ safety in her community.
“After watching two people refuse the right of way to a child walking to school this morning … I think we need to take a breath on these roads,” Kersh said. “Be late. Be safe. Give the right of way to pedestrians.”
The conversations among community members on social media has elicited awareness about the dangers of inclement weather and ways to prevent accidents in the future. Many individuals offered transportation to those who felt unsafe or unable to drive in difficult weather conditions, and others offered sidewalk snow removal for free in Armstrong’s honor.
To support Armstrong’s family, a GoFundMe page has been created in his honor.