...player scores...
THE NIGHT STARTED WITH
THE EXCITEMENT OF A
LOBO BASKETBALL GAME
INSIDE THE PIT...
...scores NATS of
cheering...
OUTSIDE, IT ENDED IN
FRANTIC CALLS FOR HELP.
...NATS sirens/scanner
chatter...
...911 emergency...
...Yeah we have a
pedestrian hit by a car
right in front of the
pit... ...Yes, we seen
everything. The guy was
crossing and the lady
just drove and hit
him... ...Okay alright
they )re on the way. okay
thank you...
...shut traffic down.
put rescue right here...
...Kae White, Widow
shrugs, emotional He was
everybody )s dream
( ( (SUPER/KAE ( ( (
as a human being, as a
husband, as a father, a
grandfather voice shakes
a friend"... KAE WHITE
IS LEFT ONLY WITH
STORIES AND PICTURES
...she )s pointing to
pics on wall Oh, that )s
a good picture. That )s
her dad... OF HER
HUSBAND OF 45 YEARS --
JAY WHITE.
THE FORMER A-P-S
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
TEACHER
GRADUATED FROM U-N-M.
AND AS A LOYAL LOBO
FAN... HE HAD BASKETBALL
SEASON TICKETS.
...Kae White, Widow
shrugs, emotional "It )s
hard to take it in, what
happened because...
emotional He just
went out to enjoy a ball
game, you know?"...
THAT NIGHT, NEARLY TWO
YEARS AGO... KAE WAS
TIRED AND STAYED
BEHIND AT HOME.
...silently points "I
was right there"...
HER HUSBAND
NEVER RETURNED TO JOIN
HER.
A DRIVER HIT
AND KILLED THE
74-YEAR-OLD AS HE USED
THE CROSSWALK AT
AVENIDA CESAR CHAVEZ AND
BRADBURY -- JUST
WEST OF UNIVERSITY -- ON
HIS WAY HOME FROM THE
GAME.
...Reporter: You feel
like this could have
been prevented? White:
Absolutely. 100
percent...
KAE IS SUING THE CITY
AND U-N-M FOR
NEGLIGENCE...
...NATS honk, TRAFFIC...
SAYING
RECORDS SHOW BOTH
PARTIES KNEW THE
CROSSWALK WAS DANGEROUS
AND DID NOTHING ABOUT
IT.
...Kae White, Widow
"They need to fix it
asap. I do not want
anybody else wearing my
shoes."...
THE POLICE REPORT
FROM THE NOVEMBER 20-16
CRASH SAYS IT
WASN )T THE (DRIVER )S
FAULT.
...Driver: We were just
going home, we were just
driving ...
IT WAS JUST AFTER 8:30
AT NIGHT... AND SHE TOLD
POLICE SHE DIDN )T (SEE
THE
CROSSWALK.
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED
LIKE -- THE LAWSUIT
POINTS TO THE FADED
STRIPING... NO WARNING
SIGNS
(BEFORE THE CROSSWALK...
NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS... AND
THE ONLY SIGN, BLOCKED
BY A LINE OF TREES.
first place... and what
they did to
make sure it was safe.
But the city cited
pending litigation and
said no one would talk
to us--not
( ( (SUPER/LYSEE ( ( (
about this, or about its
general procedures to
install and maintain
crosswalks"...
THE CITY ALSO DENIED A
RECORDS REQUEST FOR YOU
TO SEE ITS PUBLIC
EMAILS ON THE MATTER...
EMAILS THEY PROVIDED IN
DISCOVERY AS PART OF THE
LAWSUIT.
NEWS 13 OBTAINED
THOSE... AND EMAILS FROM
U-N-M... FROM KAE )S
ATTORNEY
INSTEAD.
THEY SHOW, THEN-ATHLETIC
DIRECTOR PAUL KREBS
CALLED FOR ALL THE
CROSSWALKS OUTSIDE THE
PIT TO GET RE-STRIPED
(BEFORE BASKETBALL
SEASON.
HE EVEN SUGGESTED
FLASHING SIGNS BECAUSE
IT WAS
"DARK AND HARD TO SEE
PEOPLE DIRECTING
TRAFFIC."
THE RESPONSE HE GOT FROM
SENIOR ASSOCIATE A-D FOR
FACILITIES SCOTT DOTSON
WAS --
"SORRY I HAVE DROPPED
THE BALL ON GETTING THE
CROSSWALKS
PAINTED BEFORE
BASKETBALL SEASON."
THAT WAS TWO WEEKS
BEFORE JAY )S DEATH.
U-N-M DECLINED OUR
REQUEST FOR AN
INTERVIEW.
EMAILS THE ATTORNEY GAVE
US FROM THE CITY --
REVEAL A DEBATE
OVER WHETHER (THIS
CROSSWALK SHOULD EVEN BE
HERE.
IN ONE... A TRAFFIC
ENGINEER WROTE THE CITY
DOESN )T SUPPORT
MID-BLOCK CROSSWALKS
WITH
NO STOP SIGNS OR TRAFFIC
SIGNALS...
THAT "THEY GIVE THE
PEDESTRIAN A FALSE SENSE
OF SECURITY AND DON )T
CHANGE DRIVER BEHAVIOR."
IN ANOTHER EMAIL... THE
ENGINEER CLAIMS TO HAVE
WARNED AGAINST SOME OF
THE CROSSWALKS OUTSIDE
THE PIT (BEFORE JAY )S
DEATH...
SAYING THE CITY
INSTALLED THEM DESPITE
THE WRITTEN
(OBJECTION OF TRAFFIC
ENGINEERS.
...Rachel Higgins,
Attorney "A decision was
made to place it there
in 2010. The decision
wasn )t backed up
by an cam shakes
egineering traffic
study, wasn )t backed up
by an engineering, an
engineer )s
sound judgment and there
it is."...
THE CITY GENERALLY
FOLLOWS
THESE NATIONAL
GUIDELINES... WHICH
(WOULD CALL FOR AN
ENGINEERING STUDY IN A
CASE LIKE THIS. BUT THE
CITY SAYS IT HAS NO
RECORDS OF DOING A STUDY
HERE.
EMAILS FROM 20-10 SHOW
U-N-M PROPOSED THE
CROSSWALK... AND
THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF
MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT AT
THE TIME, MICHAEL
RIORDAN, APPROVED IT. IN
EXPLAINING WHY...
RIORDAN WROTE -- THE
CROSSWALK WILL BE USED
MOSTLY DURING GAMES WITH
"POLICE PRESENCE."
...game nats of
cheering?...
BUT WHEN JAY LEFT THE
GAME A LITTLE EARLY IN
20-16... OFFICERS WERE
(NOT AT THE CROSSWALK.
THE CITY HAS SINCE
RE-STRIPED THE CROSSWALK
AND PUT UP THESE SIGNS
THAT CONTINOUSLY FLASH
--
WHETHER SOMEONE )S
CROSSING OR NOT.
STILL... THE CITY OF
ALBUQUERQUE
DENIES NEGLIGENCE... AND
AS IT CONTINUES TO FIGHT
(THIS
LAWSUIT...
...car drives by,
reveals scene...
IT COULD SOON GET HIT
WITH ANOTHER.
...Jennie Gonzales,
Justine )s mom "I love my
baby girl she will
always be my princess
and something that I
would always tell her
is, we )re going to be
best friends
forever."...
THE MOTHER OF
12-YEAR-OLD ELIZA
JUSTINE ALMUINA HIRED
AN ATTORNEY... AFTER A
DRIVER HIT AND KILLED
HER DAUGHTER AS SHE USED
A CROSSWALK OUTSIDE
CLEVELAND MIDDLE SCHOOL
EARLIER THIS YEAR.
...Joleen Youngers,
Attorney "There are
lights, but they aren )t
on. there )s striping but
it )s not visible 3:48
IN THIS CASE, THE CITY
(HAS SPOKEN UP ABOUT THE
NEED TO TAKE ACTION.
...Mayor Keller "This is
a tragedy that should
never happen. I think
what )s so important to
make sure we
are doing everything we
can so it doesn )t happen
in the future."... CITY
COUNCIL VOTED TO CREATE
A TASK FORCE TO TAKE A
CLOSER
LOOK AT CROSSWALKS NEAR
ALBUQUERQUE ELEMENTARY
AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS.
AND THIS ONE OUTSIDE
CLEVELAND MIDDLE SCHOOL
HAS ALREADY BEEN
CONVERTED INTO A HAWK
SIGNAL -- WHICH (STOPS
DRIVERS WITH A RED
LIGHT, AS PEOPLE CROSS.
BUT KAE IS STILL
WAITING.
NEARLY TWO YEARS
AFTER HER HUSBAND )S
DEATH... SHE )S STILL
HOPING THE CITY
WILL DO A TRAFFIC STUDY
OR INSTALL A STOP SIGN
OR SIGNAL HERE TO
ENSURE THE SAFETY OF
THE THOUSANDS OF FANS
GOING TO
GAMES AT THE PIT.
...Kae White, Widow "I
know my husband is not
coming back. That )s a
given but... I don )t
want anybody... I don )t
want his death to be in
vain and I don )t want
anybody to get hurt"...
ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT,
LYSEE MITRI, KRQE NEWS
13.
THE D-A )S OFFICE DIDN )T
FIND EVIDENCE THAT THE
DRIVER IN THE
CRASH BROKE THE LAW.
BUT THE CITY FILED A
MOTION LAST WEEK --
SAYING IT )S (ALL THE
DRIVER )S
FAULT... NOT THE CITY )S.
THEY POINT TO THE
DEPOSITION OF THE DRIVER
HERSELF AND WITNESSES...
SAYING THEY SHOW SHE WAS
DRIVING TOO FAST AND NOT
PAYING ATTENTION.
TO SEE A STATEMENT FROM
THE CITY -- GO TO
"ALWAYS ON KRQE DOT
COM."
ADLIB TOSS TO WEATHER
TONIGHT...Mostly cloudy