Students collide in school parking lot

   Cars bump into each other with minimal damage to property, but what if the damage isn’t minimal?  On January 6, the week after winter break, a collision in the Delta High School parking lot caused extensive damage to a student’s car. This damage was so significant that the car was towed off the property. No one was injured in the collision.   

“The rear axle was broken so it’s totaled; it’s not driveable,” said junior Morgan Farmer.   

The parking lot can be confusing for some people, making it more difficult for teen drivers to drive safely. This is not the first time accidents have happened in the school parking lot.   

“There’s been a lot of crazy stuff. I haven’t been involved in a lot of stuff, but I have seen some crazy crashes,” said Farmer.

Farmers’ accident was one of the many that extensively damaged the student’s property.   

“I was just backing up and then my brakes locked up and I just couldn’t stop,” said Alex Dunn, the student driver who hit Farmer’s car.

The student isn’t always at fault. There may be other factors leading to a collision with students.  

“When you have 150 students drivers that are learning to drive it happens…” said Jeremy McCormick, vice principal, and athletic director at Delta High School.

“ I think it’s just students learning to drive and they come in here going faster than they need to be. They’re in a hurry to get to lunch, to get home, to rev their truck, all of those things. If they would slow down a bit, we would probably have fewer,” said McCormick.

This situation could happen to anyone. In Morgans’s case, she was never involved with anything until this accident.

   “I parked in the safest place because I had just gotten my license. It was my first day driving to school, so I took some time picking what parking spot to be in and I thought it was a safe place, but it wasn’t…” said Farmer.  

Delta High School has a plan to remodel the parking lot in the future. Hopefully making the act of driving safer for young drivers in our community.  

“The old parking lot is going to change with this upcoming remodeling bond issue that has passed. So I think it is going to change,” said McCormick.