MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Melrose High School student is recovering after being hit by a car while walking to school. But before paramedics took her to the hospital, police gave her a ticket for jaywalking.
Kayla Jett was smiling Tuesday, happy to be home with her family recovering from injuries she suffered after being hit by a car Monday morning.
“It was clear at first and then I crossed and that’s when the oncoming traffic came,” said Jett. ”I stopped to see if the car was going to let me go by, but when I continued to walk he swerved out of the way to try to miss me. He hit another car and that car hit me.”
Before going to the ER, Kayla was given a ticket for jaywalking. She admitted she was not in the crosswalk and the ticket was fair, but as we saw Tuesday many students were braving traffic to get from one side of the street to the other.
“Why walk all the way up there just to get across the street. Then you have to go up there and come back down here,”said one student. ”That’s too much walking.”
“None of the students that I see walk in the cross walk.”
At East High School, students we talked to said crossing Poplar – one of the busiest streets in Memphis – is no easy task, but it is better than walking to the nearest light to cross despite the risk.
“There is so much traffic around here and a lot of people don’t stop for you, even pay attention.”
That’s why students believe no matter how old you are, sometimes you still need a little help just to cross the street.
“Even though we are in high school we still need some crossing guards out here because the traffic is so bad out here. I don’t know how to cross the street in all this.”
“We should know how to cross the street but a crossing guard will be more helpful to get across the street more safely.”
Kayla will be returning to school soon, but she and her mother know it could have been a lot worse.
“If you get hit then it’s your fault because you should be aware of where you’re going and you shouldn’t just assume that a car is going to stop, be courteous to you and let you go on by because that is not the case.”
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
this idiot caused an accident and you’re mad at the cop for giving her a ticket? She should have been charged with criminal neglect.
I work in Memphis and people Jaywalk ALL THE TIME…in very heavy traffic. Cars a whizzing past them and they are standing on the yellow line in the turn lane waiting to run across like frogger. I’m suprised more people don’t get hit. She should get a ticket – she caused a wreck. Maybe this will help save someones life in the future.
I wonder if she was white.
the video shows she is not