Virginia Avenue mom: Slow the traffic down
Staff Photo, Nate Delesline III
Mekayla Atterberry, 13, holds her dog Rascal while her mother, Michelle Cagle, looks on in front of their Virginia Avenue home.
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By Nate Delesline III
Published: July 19, 2008
A year after her daughter was hit by an SUV while riding her bike, Michelle Cagle is still concerned about the traffic in one of Culpeper’s largest and newest neighborhoods.
On July 15, 2007, Mekayla Atterberry suffered a broken leg, facial trauma and a brain injury when a vehicle struck her in front of her house in the 1000 block of Virginia Avenue.
“It’s been a crazy year,” Cagle said of her daughter’s plight. “Physically, she’s done pretty well, except for the brain injury — that will probably be a lifetime battle.”
A casual glance at Mekayla, now 13, reveals nothing amiss. But the weeks and months after the accident left physical scars nevertheless.
The teen will likely need more dental work in years to come to repair destroyed teeth. And constant headaches come and go as a painful reminder of that July evening.
Worst of all, Mekayla said, the emotional scars have taken a toll. The rising eighth-grader, who will attend Culpeper Middle School this fall, said that when she returned to school last year, others — even those who knew what happened — made fun of her looks.
“She’s had a rough year,” her mother said.
Mekayla recalled the summer evening in Redwood Lakes when the accident occurred.
Starting down her driveway on her bike, “I didn’t see anything at first,” she said. “I always look both ways, and I remember looking both ways and I didn’t see any cars.
Then came the collision. Emergency workers rushed her to Culpeper Regional Hospital.
“It started out they thought she was just kind of banged up a little bit,” Cagle said. “They transported her to Culpeper. We were there maybe a half hour and then they realized her brain was bleeding.”
Doctors sent her to the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, where she was hospitalized for five days before leaving in a wheelchair with a broken leg.
“It was the worst night of my life,” Cagle said, adding that her daughter still suffers from constant headaches and will likely have to see a neurologist for the rest of her life.
Another long battle is also under way with insurance companies. Cagle said her daughter’s mangled bicycle remains in the basement. The family has been forced to retain the relic to prove insurance claims.
“It’s taken it’s toll on the whole family,” she said.
Cagle said the driver who hit Mekayla lives nearby. Police have not identified him and following an investigation, he was cleared of any wrongdoing by authorities, town spokesman Wally Bunker said.
“It definitely does bother me,” Cagle said. “I don’t think enough is ever going to be done. We spend a lot of time on the porch and we see people fly by constantly.”
Reports of speeding and reckless driving along Virginia Avenue are nothing new. Earlier this month, the town responded by erecting stop signs at several intersections — Lakeland Court, Kearns Drive, Prosperity and Blossom Tree roads, and Fawn and Longview lanes.
Cagle’s primary concern is Virginia Avenue’s speed limit, which she thinks is too high at 25 mph. She points out that the road often is filled with children and parked cars that block the view of potential hazards.
“If that would have been a smaller child that night, the child would have never survived,” she said of her daughter’s accident. “Luckily, she was a bigger girl. … People just have not gotten a clue around here.
“I think 25 (mph) is extremely too fast in a residential area that has this many children in it.”
Bunker said the town would likely wait to determine the impact of the additional stop signs before revisiting any decisions to change the speed limit.
“I don’t think that’s totally off the table,” he said, “but there’s a process you have to go through to try and lower the speed limits. That’s something the Police Department would have to address, and it doesn’t happen overnight.”
“They can at times be lowered to 15 mph,” Bunker continued, adding that he was not aware of any publicly maintained residential streets in Culpeper with a 15-mph speed limit.
In the meantime, Mekayla said she’s spending the rest of the summer “playing with my friends and playing with my puppy,” her Pomeranian dog, Rascal. She hopes to attend college and become a veterinarian.
“I told my mom I’m getting at least 12 pets,” she said with a laugh.
Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( Hurtmom ) on August 02, 2008 at 7:04 pm
This was MY daughter that was hit & it makes me so sad to hear nothing but negativity out of these posts besides from Brian & Armydad (which is her father.) Would you be preaching these same things if this were your child who this had happened to? I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but where is the compasion for what my daughter & my family has been put through? Her, as well as our lives are forever changed. She will deal with the aftermath of this accident for the rest of her life and I as her mother will never be the same. I am in constant fear that something else will happen to her. She is my only child, due to medical problems I was never able to have more children. Her safety is my number 1 concern!!! I agree the kids need to be aware, but when you compare a child on a bike to a grown up in a several thousand pound vehicle, there is NO comparison. She has struggled with the way kids have treated her after this accident & now she has to read these postings, where all that has been focused on is the negative, not how her life has been impacted! I am so ashamed of the people whose two cents are strickly focused on what she did wrong and the fact that who ever is making these posts don’t even have all the facts to decide to draw their own conclusion & if it is someone who knows us, come talk to me directly!
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on July 31, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Thank you ArmyDAD. I do keep a watchful eye on my speed because it is a residential zone with children. Yes I agree the stop signs are making a difference already as I have seen. Yes the neighborhood is not what I would say children friendly for them to get around. Can’t argue with you on that one. Thanks.
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Posted by ( ArmyDAD ) on July 31, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I could continue this back and forth but I choose not to continue commenting. I have never said that I saw him speeding when she was hit so people are jumping to conculsions on here. As far as the kids playing Basketball in the street, I would again tell you that the design of neiborhood does not allow these kids a place to play. I would like to also thank you for driving below the speed limit and wish more people would. The stop signs seem to have worked some but I thnk they need one on the blind corner around the area she was hit. Brian thanks for you input
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Posted by ( Brian ) on July 31, 2008 at 10:29 am
I have a few questions for you ArmDad. You are saying the police report was botched. What gives you that impression? Did you have any device such as an approved radar unit that can give the speed that the vehicle was traveling prior to the accident? Was there any physical evidence at the scene such as measurable skid marks on the pavement that could be used to determine the minimal speed of the vehicle using the drag factor formula and a drag sled? What evidence do you have other than your words that can back up your statement that the police botched the investigation? Just the observation of a vehicle that we think is speeding is insufficient evidence. I am an attorney and would like to hear how you came to such a conclusion. I’d have a hard time putting you on the stand as a witness.
The girl claimed she looked both ways and did not see any cars. I hear that constantly from drivers I defend in traffic court that pull out into the path of cars and are involved in an accident. The judge rules that they are responsible to make sure it is safe prior to doing so. Unless there is evidence that the other car is speeding to forfeit the right of way it’s almost impossible to show that the oncoming car is at fault. This case is similar. I am sorry that this girl went through what she has endured but there is the responsibility on her part to make sure it’s safe before going out into the street or crossing it. Think about what the driver of the vehicle had to deal with. I’d be careful about making statements of police botching accident reports without having evidence to support what you say. Are you planning to testify in a civil suit should it arise with facts to back up what you are saying? What you say won’t hold up in court unless you have facts to support it. Regardless of anyone’s personal views of an incident there must be evidence to support the facts if a charge is placed in order to prosecute the case to stand a chance of getting a conviction. Remember probable cause to charge and proof beyond a reasonable doubt to convict. Personal opinions or views not a part of this process.
LawMan has made some valid points about kids playing in or around the streets. The drivers and vehicles are not the only ones that make the highways dangerous. Pedestrians also contribute to the safety factors. Please think about this in more than one perspective.
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on July 31, 2008 at 9:54 am
ArmyDad you say botched? There was no evidence to support that the vehicle was at fault. Why would that make the report botched? If the police don’t have evidence to support a charge that the driver was at fault they don’t charge. Did she not ride her bike out into the street into the path of an oncoming vehicle? Both drivers and pedestrians must be aware of their surroundings and pay close attention.
Yes she does stand in the road and not just to cross the street. Many other children in the community do the same. Just drive through the community and see. I drive the speed limit or less and still slow or come to a complete stop, especially for those playing basketball with those portable hoops placed at the end of the driveway whit the children playing basketball in the path of traffic on the road. It’s dangerous for any child to do so. The sidewalks and trail are adequate for safety to get around. One must first make sure it is safe to cross the road before doing so. Big difference between crossing the road and just standing or playing in it as I see constantly throughout the neighborhood. Get my drift?
Yes speeding is one of if not the biggest traffic complaints law enforcement receives. Whether or not the speed limit is 25 or 15 it’s still dangerous for children to play in the road. It’s common sense.
Sorry but I find it to be an excuse for children to be playing in or near the road whether there are sidewalks or not. We as parents must take responsibility for the safety of our kids. Law enforcement will ticket those that they catch speeding. Unfortunately the police can’t be everywhere. The majority of those that speed in the neighborhood live there.
As to a botched police report please provide or find concrete evidence to prove otherwise before you criticize the police.
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Posted by ( ArmyDAD ) on July 30, 2008 at 3:54 pm
First I don’t know were you received you information but as the report was botched and the officers couldn’t show how she hit the car in the side as you stated above then ensure you know what you are talking about prior to making the post. I want say she hasnt crossed the road or is standing with other kids by the road since their are no other ways to get around in Redwood lakes without crossing the road and being in the road at some point then it would be hard to stay out of the road. Again it is easy to say people don’t do anything wrong when you others have reported speeding in the neighborhood. This is a tragic event and it is easy to pass blame. This neighbor needs to be looked at the design is not appropriate for the number of kids in the area. By the way the front of the car hit her bike not her hitting the side of the car
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Posted by ( LawMan ) on July 29, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Why is the child constantly in the road playing even after she was hit by a car. I see her constantly in the road. Just yesterday I had to come to a complete stop because she was in the neighborhood standing right in the middle of the road. I waited for her to move to proceed. There are sidewalks and a bike path in the community on one side of the road.
ArmyDad there is no excuse for any child to be playing in the street. Use the sidewalk or walking path that is available in the community. If there are no sidewalks, which there are on one side to include a walking path, I still would not allow my child to play in the street. Parents must be responsible. The driver that hit this girl was not at fault. She ran into the vehicle on her bicycle as she came down the driveway. This is not just about speeding vehicles. It’s about children playing on a road that is just plain dangerous.
Speeding is a problem in society. Residents of a community are the ones we catch. Even those who say “I’m the one that called in the complaints of speeders” get caught and expect a break on a speeding ticket because they are the ones that called.
Redwood Lakes on most streets has problems with children playing both in the road and near the edge of the road. I many times see no parents or supervision. It makes me wonder.
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Posted by ( ArmyDAD ) on July 23, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I am glad that people don’t drive on the side walks but I wish people wouldn’t run there mouths when they don’t know the facts. Kids are in the streets around here because they have nothing close to go and do. Grown-ups are also walking down the streets, sidewalks are not on both sides of the road.
As far as dogs staying out of they road you keep them on a lease, I don’t think putting our kids on a lease would be allowed, but drving your car above the speed limit when you know these kids are out is completely out of line. Adults drive cars not kids.
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Posted by ( semper fi mom ) on July 21, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Perhaps that community needs to police themselves in that—it is probably mostly their neighbors within their neighborhood who are driving in that area the most. A 4-way stop was erected some where in there I believe. So - so the police have to babysit and stay at every block—they don’t have enough officers to do that. WHEN will individual accountability / responsibility make its way back into modern society? If the individuals living and driving in that area would each drive more slowly and carefully - a change would be measurable. ALso - sadly I have to agree—children do not belong in the street—that is a problem the parents can control. It is very sad, but not surprising, that the kids in her school made fun of her. Social decline began back in the 60’s and has gone un-checked. The lack of common courtesy and even worse, the huge decimation of moral values make what those kids did, “normal.“
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Posted by ( culpepergrad ) on July 21, 2008 at 11:59 am
I agree that the speed limit should be reduced and strictly enforced on Virginia Avenue. Stop signs are a start but they need to be watched and enforced heavily. I have family that lives off of Virginia Avenue and I have been seriously concerned on several occasions when vehicles have been speeding through the neighbor hood.
To the person posted the comment about their dogs being smarter than many people in Culpeper. Did you include your intelligence level in your assessment of your dogs’ intelligence?
I am not sure if you have children or not but this is a major concern for all of us who do have them and have seen drivers speed through the neighborhood with little thought going into what/who could be around the next bend or behind a parked car. Bottom line, SLOW IT DOWN!
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