Crash at Columbia

Yesterday, Colton and I had just returned from a trip to the grocery store. I was unloading when the phone rang. It was a nice, sunshiney day, so I really wasn't expecting a call from Cooper, but there it was, with him sobbing in the background. But it wasn't the office, it was my neighbor Shari (who was there prepping for the school carnival) ... and it wasn't a weather worry ... it was a plane crash!

It was a small plane, no real damage to the school (although as you can see in the picture above it was SO close to hitting it). No explosion or fire. No one on the ground was hurt, although the sixth graders were out to recess at the time and did witness the plane going down. The pilot was killed on impact.

I had a message from Keaton (they were having the kids contact parents to let them know they they were ok). Cooper's stress was more about how I was going to pick him up, as both parking lots were being roped off and no one was being allowed over on the South end of the school (which is where I usually pick up the kids). I did go in early to check Cooper out of school, as we had an appointment that we would be rushing to, even without any pickup delays.

While everything was calm and controlled, picking him up was still a bit of an ordeal. With police cars and emergency vehicles everywhere, cones in front of the school (prepping a place for the buses to park) I went ahead and left the car in the neighborhood on the other side of Bangerter Highway and the walked the rest of the way to the school. We had to show our identification, and only authorized people (who had been listed on the emergency release forms) were allowed to check students out. Once you were cleared, someone from the school went into the building (the checkout station was situated about 50 feet out, on the edge of the school grounds) to collect the student and bring him out.

As the school year starts, and parents are inundated with paperwork, I often gloss over some of the many forms that need to be filled out. But in an emergency situation, all the rules are followed to the letter. So it IS wise to take some time and put down the names of family members or friends and neighbors that, if there was an emergency, and you couldn't get to the school yourself, would be able to pick up your kids if needed... that's something I learned at school today.

Updated ... a few more close crashes over the years. Here's an article.