I am writing in response to the Oct. 23 letter to the editor Makanda intersection not a death trap. I am distraught at the way this letter to the editor was written. Chris Novy lacked compassion in understanding a grieving community.

Mr. Novy wrote, The Makanda accident was the result of one person choosing to pull into oncoming traffic and nothing more. This man was not in the car with the driver. No one, with the exception of those involved, knows what happened at that intersection Oct. 7. For this man to write such a comment is just plain wrong.

Mr. Novy goes on to say, that young people were killed this time doesn’t make this accident any more special and it doesn’t give the people the right to blame the Illinois Department of Transportation for a driver’s mistake. Everyone knows that the death of young people always is a shock and a great tragedy.

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The loss of Amanda Dalton and Jennifer Riegger will be felt forever. The school as well as the community has the right to grieve and remember the lives of these very special teens. Mr. Novy goes on to say that this was just another unfortunate accident that he was called to. He didn’t know these girls he has no idea what they were like or how much they gave to those around them. This community still is trying to cope with this void. Letters such as the one written by Chris Novy are in bad taste. To say that it was the driver’s mistake and an act of incompetence is out of line and unclad for.

Mr. Novy should consider the feelings of others and the lasting impression he left through his words. Many reading this letter were swayed to believe that it was the driver’s fault and this is a wrong assumption. The driver did not chose to sustain a broken neck, nor did she chose for the lives of her two best friends to be lost. This was a tragic accident and nothing more.

sophomore, Carbondale High School