Senior Reporter/Catey Traylor

People always talk about a defining moment in their life when they learned a lot about themselves and the people around them.

A moment where everything fell apart, eventually fell back together, and the important things in life became crystal clear.

I had never been that person. I had never had a moment like that, and I was beginning to think it wouldn’t ever happen — until Aug. 26, 2011 rolled around.

It started as a typical early-semester weekend, with nothing better to do in this town than wreak havoc on Main Street and try our best to avoid the cops. My best friend came up for the weekend and we party-hopped with friends for a while, until we decided to embrace what Main Street does best, and headed to a frat party. My friend’s mom had called earlier in the night, but neither of us was in any state to talk to our parents, so he ignored the call, put his phone in his pocket and didn’t look at it again. That was at 11 p.m.

At 1 a.m., he checked his phone and had missed calls like nobody’s business. He dialed his voicemail and heard a message that would change our lives forever. His little brother, Ryan, had been hit by a car, and it was bad. Really bad.

To make a long story short, we were rushed to Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, where we learned that Ryan was in a coma, had numerous broken bones and had needed brain surgery already. Little did we know, eight more surgeries would be in Ryan’s future.

As we sat in the waiting room, I watched a mother fight to be strong during the hardest time of her life, an uncle and grandmother stare into space searching for answers, and a brother — my closest friend on this planet — try so hard to believe that things were going to be alright when there was a very real possibility they wouldn’t be. And as much as I wanted to help, to say or do something to fix everything, there was nothing I could do. Except be there.

In that moment, I understood what people were always talking about. Throughout the next four months of Ryan’s hospitalization, my small town came together like a family. I relied on people more than I ever had in the past and I learned to take each and every moment of life for what it’s worth.

Now that I’m the person sharing the story of a defining life moment, I want to leave people with one message. Appreciate the people in your life. Tell your mom you love her, spend time with your dad, and even if they piss you off, tell your siblings how much they mean to you, because in an instant, everything can change and you’d give anything in this world to rewind time.

I think Lee Brice got it right when he said “Never let your prayin’ knees get lazy, and love like crazy.”

The Mount Pleasant Police Department responded to the accident at 5:35 p.m. A dark gray Chevy Silverado was attempting to turn out of the J.C. Penney parking lot to head northbound on South Mission Street when it collided with a red Chevy Aveo.

Mount Pleasant Police Officer Kurt Solmonson said two children were possibly injured in the accident.

“They’re being checked out,” Solmonson said. “It (the ambulance) took away the three from the car.”

The driver of the Aveo was described by Solmonson to be a male in his 30s, and his passengers were the two children transported to the hospital. The driver of the Silverado was described to be in his 50s and was uninjured.

The Aveo suffered heavy front-end damage, while the Silverado appeared to have suffered damage to its front bumper.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Michigan State Police and Mobile Medical Response.

The simple fact is that too many students are reckless while driving.

This epidemic of irresponsible drivers results in numerous car accidents each week, sometimes each day.

I’m fed up with students driving like maniacs for no apparent reason and not taking their lives, as well as the lives of others on the road, into consideration.

My question to these drivers: What do you value more, your life, or making it to class three minutes earlier?

I’m not saying all of the accidents that occur in Mount Pleasant are attributed to students, however, when driving past an accident and looking at the parking permit on the window, many of them are.

My plea to students is simply to slow down, drive cautiously and adapt your driving to the environment around you.

Mission Street is the worst example of the horrible drivers around us. People go through red lights, pull out of driveways right in front of cars, drive too fast for the amount of traffic and tailgate the cars in front of them.

This has to stop.

As students, we must make a collective effort to be courteous to the drivers around us. However, we must do it for the right reasons.

I despise when people tell me they drive the speed limit to avoid paying for a ticket. How about driving the speed limit to avoid killing yourself and others? It seems people can put a price on their life.

Driving recklessly is not a problem that can be solved overnight. However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of car accidents in Michigan that have ended with fatalities has gone down immensely with 871 accidents in 2009. This is impressive considering the number was 1,129 in 2005.

I know Central Michigan University students have the ability to slow down and look out for one another. I see it every day on campus when people open the doors for each other, smile at a stranger or help a friend who’s in need.

These are not the characteristics, however, of these same students while driving. It seems as though their courteous button is switched off when they put their foot to the gas.

I leave plenty of space to the car in front of me, check my rear-view mirror every few seconds and most importantly, watch out for the other guy.

As my mom always says, you can tell a lot about a person’s character by the way they drive.

What can you tell about yours?

Heather Foster, a 20-year-old Rosebush resident, was driving westbound in a 2006 GMC Envoy at 8:47 p.m. on Denver Road when she failed to yield the right of way to a train crossing at the railroad grade crossing, just west of Mission Road. The train struck the Envoy between the driver’s door and the driver’s side passenger door. The vehicle was pushed north by the train across the railroad for 2/10 of a mile before stopping.

The accident left Foster with a potentially broken left arm, head and facial injuries. She was airlifted by Flightcare from the scene of the accident to Hurley Medical Trauma Center in Flint.

The accident also caused unknown injuries to the Envoy passenger and 20-year-old Mount Pleasant resident Levi Light.

Light was transported to Central Michigan Community Hospital, 1221 South Drive, and then airlifted to Covenant Hospital in Saginaw.

The train was a Great Lakes Central Locomotive that was hauling seven cargo cars, along with a second locomotive behind the primary locomotive. The engineer was 32-year-old Owosso resident Joshua Whorley, who did not sustain any injury during the accident.

According to a press release sent out by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, Whorley said the vehicle was not going to stop and he applied the brakes on the locomotive train prior to the Denver Road crossing.

The press release said the investigation revealed the driver wasn’t paying attention to the upcoming rail crossing, nor did she see or hear the train.

Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said accidents involving trains do not happen very often.

“We get maybe three train accidents over the last seven years,” Mioduszewski said.

Mioduszewski said as people approach the tracks, they should be looking both ways to see if there’s a train before proceeding across the tracks.

“Any time you come near railroad tracks, especially if it’s out in the country where they don’t have the arms and lights going, you should be looking and expecting that there may be a train coming, that way you can stop in time,” Mioduszewski said.

Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be factors in the incident. A seatbelt was worn by Light, and it is unknown if Foster had a seatbelt on.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department was assisted by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police, the Isabella NorthEast Fire Department, Mobile Medical Response and Flightcar.

At about 4:30 p.m., the driver of the Alero had attempted to merge into the left lane from the right, running into the Lumina, when the accident occurred in front of Wendy’s, 1619 S. Mission St.

“I was in the left lane, and she was in the right lane. She wanted to merge, but I was right there,” said the driver of the Lumina. “I tried to get out of the way. She looked a little shaken up.”

The front driver’s side tire area of the Alero sustained damage and dents, whereas the Lumina had only minor scratches and a broken head light, all on the right side.

The Alero was towed from Mission Street at 4:51 p.m. by A-1 Towing, 1504 N. Fancher Ave. Once towed out of traffic, final arrangements were made and the Alero was towed away at 4:57 p.m. The driver of the Lumina drove off with his vehicle in eligible driving condition.

The Mount Pleasant Police Department handled the accident.

Ithaca resident Donelda Sova, 80, was pronounced dead at the scene of a motor vehicle accident at 2:07 p.m. at the intersection of South Wise Road and East Blanchard Road in Coe Township.

Sova and her passenger, 84-year-old Alma resident Beverly Ann Harry, were in a 2004 Ford Taurus southbound on Wise Road when she stopped at the stop sign at the Blanchard Road intersection. Sova then proceeded to drive forward, failing to yield the right of way and resulting in the collision with a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado.

The Silverado, driven by 22-year-old Blanchard resident Jeffrey William Bluemer, was traveling westbound on Blanchard Road when Sova entered the intersection, resulting in both vehicles being run off the road onto the southwest corner field of the intersection.

Harry was taken by Mobile Medical Response to Gratiot Medical center, and was then immediately flown to Covenant Health Care Systems in Saginaw, where she remains in stable condition. Bluemer received a minor injury to his right leg, but did not need medical attention.

All three people involved in the accident were wearing seatbelts. Drugs and alcohol were not factors in the crash.

The accident was investigated by the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department with the assistance of Shepherd Police Department, Shepherd Tri-Township Fire Department and Mobile Medical Response.

The crash took place at about 3:30 a.m. on North Shepherd Road in Denver Township. Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said speed and alcohol appeared to be factors in the crash.

Painter, a 22-year-old Mount Pleasant resident,was not wearing his seatbelt. He was driving on North Shepherd Road when his 1999 Jeep Wrangler started fishtailing. The jeep went off the road and overturned, throwing Painter out of the jeep before the Jeep eventually landed on top of him, Mioduszewski said.

His passenger, 17-year-old Mount Pleasant resident Adam Jacob Cronkite, was wearing his seatbelt and was uninjured in the crash.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department was at the scene with the assistance of the Isabella Northeast Fire District, Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police Department and the Mobile Medical Response ambulance service.

The male motorcyclist, 25 year-old Mount Pleasant resident Jacob Vanhorn was taken to Central Michigan Community Hospital. A Mount Pleasant Police Officer at the scene, in front of Big Boy, 1623 S. Mission St., said he believed the motorcyclist would be fine.

The female driver of the Grand Prix, Ashley Rampersad, 23 years-old from Essexville was uninjured.

Rampersad was issued a citation in the accident.

I could have told you that before the tragic car crash that resulted in the death of Mark Angelocci.

While I never met Angelocci, I know there are hundreds of individuals impacted by his death.

The worst part of it all? It wasn’t his fault.

He suffered through injuries inflicted in a drunk driving accident for days before passing away, leaving behind a multitude of people to grieve for him over something caused by the stupidity of someone else.

I’ve heard friends brag about the experiences they’ve had while driving under the influence of alcohol. The encounters with cops, their estimated blood alcohol content levels, the stories of them with a drink in one hand and the steering wheel in the other…

Two words: “Shut up.”

I don’t think you sound cool when you brag about your drunk escapades behind the wheel. I don’t think you sound like a hardass.

In fact, I think you sound straight up moronic.

Your reckless behavior doesn’t sound so awesome when you realize that, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,839 people were killed in 2009 by alcohol-impaired driving.

That’s one person every 48 minutes.

And that’s not even counting those that survive, with mild to severe injuries.

That doesn’t count the surviving friends and family members of those killed, either.

My boyfriend was hit by a drunk driver two summers ago. The accident left him injured and his mother dead.

The two were standing in the driveway of their house in daylight when they were struck by a vehicle operated by a drunk 23 year old.

I can’t even begin to imagine the pain felt by my boyfriend and his family, but I’ve seen glimpses and tears, and I’ve heard stories wracked with frustration, anger and devastation.

What happened to Mark Angelocci should not have happened.

So I will continue to lecture, because obviously people still don’t understand. Call a taxi. Walk. Call a friend or a parent for a ride.

Don’t drive drunk. Don’t drive under the influence of any kind of drug.

Because even if you are OK with risking your life, others are not OK with you risking theirs.

The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department reported 18 car accidents during the two-day period while Mount Pleasant Police handled 12.

“With the two snowstorms we’ve had, I’m surprised that there weren’t as many accidents as I expected,” said Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski. “People knew the storms were going to hit.”

He said drivers took warnings seriously and there was very little movement of cars during the storm.

Mioduszewski said his department called in deputies two or three weeks ago to prepare for the first big snowstorm.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Mioduszewski said there were no serious injuries related to accidents and “just mostly fender benders.”

MPPD Public Information Officer Jeff Browne offered several tips for safe winter driving.

He said motorists should allow extra time for travel and for braking, try to travel only during daylight hours and always carry a cell phone. Drivers should also keep an emergency kit in their car that includes extra items such as jumper cables, extra clothes, a flashlight and shovel.

Central Michigan University Police did not report any accidents from Saturday to Tuesday. Lt. Cameron Wassman said accident numbers have decreased a little compared to last year.

“This storm and the previous storm gave us a lot of snow in a short amount of time,” he said. “But people were well aware that this weather was coming and planned accordingly.”

Wassman said the university does a phenomenal job at snow removal and it plays a part on the safety of campus roadways.

Muskegon junior Chad Pothoff commutes from Deerfield Road to CMU. He said the road conditions were bad and it was frightening to drive to school.

“The sidewalks on campus were really bad, too,” Pothoff said. “They weren’t really salted and were pretty slick.”

Drivers should anticipate that ice can form on the roads when the temperature is 40 degrees or less, according to the Michigan State Police website.

Any shaded area or an area that has a water source over is susceptible to black ice, according to the state. Morning hours are particularly dangerous.

Mioduszewski said drivers should drive slow during snow storms and plan their driving time wisely.

“Slow down and make sure your headlights are on, even during the day,” he said.