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I suggest we give Derek Bute the respect he deserves, and not try to link his death to lack of a pedestrian tunnel or any other safety measure.
I say this as someone who decided to beat a train at the Main Street crossing a few years ago, while biking. The gates were down, so I used the sidewalk. But I crashed on the tracks and literally crawled and wiggled out of the way of the oncoming train. I missed death by seconds.
I was ashamed for showing such poor judgment. I knew better. I was entirely at fault. Period.
I’m sure Derek Bute would say the same. Stating that truth doesn’t diminish his value as a person. Denying it doesn’t make his death any less painful.
And perhaps most important, by admitting that personal responsibility, and applying it to ourselves, will likely do more than anything else to prevent such deaths in the future.
Todd Paddock
Student
Winona
