Parade was 'wonderful event,' but better crowd safety is needed

Editor:

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I took my father and my 3-year-old daughter to the Martinez-Evans Christmas Parade on Sunday. It was a wonderful community event that the county should continue to support indefinitely.

However, my hope is that next year parade officials will give more thought and attention to safety. This weekend, an 11-year-old little girl named Aaliyah Carter was tragically killed at the Beaumont, Texas, Christmas parade after she was run over by a trailer.

This just as easily could have happened in Evans.

I witnessed next to zero crowd control measures implemented on Bel Air Road. The Shriners, police officers and others buzzed around at high speeds within inches of spectators. Kids jumped on and off of moving vehicles. And worst of all, drivers of tractor-trailers invited children to catastrophe by throwing candy onto the road just feet from rolling tires.

The last thing we need during the holiday season is to lose another child because we failed to plan. Let us use some common sense next year and plan to implement some simple safety measures to avoid tragedy.

Jeremy Vigna

Grovetown