Police Issue Warnings About Distraction After Two Tragic Deaths

In the aftermath of the deaths of two teenagers this month, law enforcement officials are warning motorists and pedestrians to keep their eyes and their mind on the road and to avoid distraction.

AZ Central reports that on the morning of Friday, November 15th, in Peoria, a 14-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle as he was in a crosswalk and crossing the street at a school crossing between Cactus Road and Grand Avenue located near Peoria High School.

Just a matter of a few hours later, 13-year-old Payton Munger was struck by a school bus at the intersection of 144th Avenue and Indian School Road. The eighth-grader was a student at Western Sky Middle School.

Munger was rushed to an area hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries but died a few hours later.

While both fatal pedestrian crashes are still currently under investigation,

A spokesperson for the Peoria Police Department, Officer Brandon Sheffert, told reporters that the two tragedies are a sobering reminder for pedestrians to pay attention to traffic and what’s going on around them rather than gazing at their smartphones or other electronic devices.

Sheffert also warns drivers that they must remain “Focused one hundred percent of your attention on your driving.”

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Office Sheffert’s sentiments are the same as those held by Goodyear Police Department Spokesperson Lisa Berry. “You see people with their earbuds in or they’re texting and walking or on the phone and walking and their just not paying attention. “ Berry also believes that the number one job of drivers is to have 100% of their attention on the road.

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