Juneau Empire Story Archive

Is anyone paying attention?

Letter to the editor

I remember walking by the Brotherhood Bridge and looking at all the in memoriam offerings, but I did not know to whom they had been left. I thought to myself that leaving such offerings is a vanity because it cannot bring back the person who died there. Today I learned the offerings were left for Jody Watson, and I felt ashamed for being so shallow and selfish.

In the brief moment I had first met Jody, I knew that she was a unique and gracious young woman who had a quiet intelligence and loving sense of humor. The more I spoke to her the more I knew that she was a truly a unique individual in her own right. The loss of this young woman is a loss to humanity, in every sense of the word.

I wanted to know more about the disposition of her case. I find it questionable that the young man who was "momentarily distracted" and crossed into oncoming traffic and killed Jody was not identified, apparently was not charged criminally and was not even so much as even cited for negligent driving.

I would think at a minimum that this young man would be required to take a driver's improvement course. If this is not the case, then our public officials have failed in their duty to protect the public and should be excused from their duties.

All I can do in memoriam to Jody Watson is write this letter to the editor and voice my thoughts on the passing of a gentle and remarkable spirit and question why such an admitted act of negligence has been apparently dismissed without correction.

Scot O'hUigin

Juneau

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