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War veteran's death sparks fight for safe crossing to VA clinic

South Florida Sun Sentinel (FL) - 10/20/2014

Oct. 17--Army veteran Willie Span did not die on a battlefield. He was not killed by enemy fire or old war wounds.

Instead, he was killed by an oncoming car whose driver did not see him in the predawn light.

Span, 70, died Oct. 2 while trying to cross Commercial Boulevard. His destination: a VA clinic in Sunrise that sits across the street from Span's bus stop in Tamarac.

Even though dozens of veterans have used that bus stop, Span is the only pedestrian hit and killed by a car at that location over the past five years, police say. And officials from Sunrise, Tamarac and Broward County want to make sure he is the last.

For years, Sunrise officials have been asking Broward County to install a crosswalk and on-demand pedestrian light to help ensure the safety of veterans, many disabled, trying to cross six-lane Commercial Boulevard to get to the William "Bill" Kling VA Clinic just east of Nob Hill Road.

An estimated 42,000 cars a day travel Commercial Boulevard, state records show, but county officials say not enough pedestrians cross the road at that location to add a crosswalk and pedestrian light.

"This is the height of bureaucracy," said Adriane Reesey, president of the Broward County Veterans Coalition. "The old saying, that if someone dies at an intersection they put up a street light. Well, someone died."

Reesey appealed to several county and municipal officials by email: "While we are all able to enjoy this beautiful South Florida morning, there is a war veteran who will not. He was killed yesterday, not by a stray bullet, or the violence of war, but instead a bureaucracy that has placed many of our veterans at risk."

Within a week of Span's death, Broward County eliminated the bus stop frequented by Span and many of his fellow veterans.

"I think he would still be alive if that bus stop had not been there," said County Commissioner Martin Kiar, who is working on a solution that involves getting more veterans signed up for the county's paratransit program. "That bus stop has been eliminated. We removed that danger."

But some want the bus stop restored and a crosswalk and pedestrian light installed for safety.

Federal guidelines say 107 people must cross the street during any hour to justify a signal, county officials say. The latest county data says only 14 pedestrians cross the street at that location during any one hour.

Both Sunrise and Tamarac officials have joined activists in asking why an exception cannot be made for the VA clinic, when the lives of veterans are at stake.

"It is terrible that it took the tragic death of a veteran to make progress towards fixing a problem identified over five years ago," Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan said. "In the end, everyone agrees veterans, many of whom have crossed fields of fire and tumultuous oceans teaming with conflict, and who endured the doubt of whether they would come home from their missions, should not have to scamper across a six-lane, high-speed road to get the care they earned and deserve."

Removing the bus stop is not the answer, Reesey says, noting the nearest bus stop is now four blocks away and also sits across the street from the clinic.

"There are people with prosthetics and in wheelchairs and with hip and knee replacements," Reesey said. "There's no reason that they should be expected to walk four blocks to a clinic where they are seeking treatment of some sort."

Sunrise officials say they'd like to see the county bus route altered to allow the bus to drop off veterans directly in front of the clinic. County officials say the road needs to be widened for that to happen -- an option that's not a quick fix.

Under the current route, the bus eventually stops at the clinic on the south side of Commercial, but adds another 25 minutes to the ride.

County Commissioner Stacy Ritter and Kiar have suggested that veterans sign up for the county's paratransit system to get rides directly to and from the clinic.

Veterans must fill out a lengthy application to qualify for the program and pay $3.50 for each one-way trip, a higher price than taking the bus.

Kiar says county officials are looking into lowering the paratransit rate for veterans, but first need permission from federal officials.

"We'd like to give disabled veterans door-to-door service so they can get right to the front door of the VA," Kiar said.

sbryan@tribpub.com or 954-356-4554

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