There was a strong show of support Wednesday night for a young Papillion girl who was critically hurt after being struck by a car Tuesday afternoon.
Community members and friends of ten year old Abby Whitford filled St. Columbkille Catholic Church Wednesday evening. Father Chuck led the prayer vigil, "Let's ask God to be with us and Abby as we pray for her and her parents and those that look over her."
Longtime family friend Doug Lewis talked to 6 News about Abby's joyful personality, something he is used to seeing in martial arts class. "Her favorite thing is doing cartwheels, she comes in and gets on the floor and starts doing cartwheels. She's a ball of energy, she's pretty sassy. She just has a big fight right now," Lewis says.
Just down the road from the church, Allison Watts and her father, David, laid flowers at the crash site. They wanted to honor Abby and to offer a reminder about the dangers of crossing the street.
The crosswalk in downtown Papillion where the accident happened has been confusing for many people. Karen Hokanson said she has lived in the area for 30 years and tells 6 News the intersection has always been a problem.
“I find it confusing both ways,” Hokanson says. “You hit the button, and you wait, because a lot of times you have to make sure drivers have really seen it.” The crosswalk has a flashing light on the signs when someone is crossing, but it’s not a familiar warning to most people — and Hokanson thinks it is not enough.
“Several of them will go through, and I think some of them will start to realize that they see one car stop, then other cars will follow suit,” she says.
Papillion Police said the driver of the vehicle that hit the Abby failed to yield to when the lights flashed. The City of Papillion says they once they have all the facts about the accident they will conduct a thorough review of the incident and crosswalk.
Lewis has set up a gofundme for the family.