Anna's Bridge

418 People Have Sent 60 Letters and Emails

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Some recent comments: these messages are published with permission of the signer.

i love anna
Anna, i miss you & i hope you get this bridge. Just today I saw kids crossing those tracks. SMH. What a shame.
My wife (Katie Greiner Lohinski) taught Language Arts to Mike in his 6th grade year at MRMS. She remembers his fun and outgoing personality. We are both saddened to hear of the death of Mike's beloved sister a year ago. Teenagers often do impulsive things and believe they are invincible. They do not think about the consequences of their action especially when they are in a hurry to get somewhere. We strongly support a bridge to be built so that future Kenwood students will not have the same fate as Anna. Peace and love to you and your family. Please continue your efforts to get this bridge built. I am certain it will save future lives.
My wife (Katie Greiner Lohinski) taught Language Arts to Mike in his 6th grade year at MRMS. She remembers his fun and outgoing personality. We are both saddened to hear of the death of Mike's beloved sister a year ago. Teenagers often do impulsive things and believe they are invincible. They do not think about the consequences of their action especially when they are in a hurry to get somewhere. We strongly support a bridge to be built so that future Kenwood students will not have the same fate as Anna. Peace and love to you and your family. Please continue your efforts to get this bridge built. I am certain it will save future lives.
I think this is a great idea, it might have only been one girl but there could be more to come...
My words were a little harsh, and I didn't mean them to come off that way, so my apologies. I don't want to diminish this awful and tragic death--which it was, but I think we've all got to come to the realization that our resources as a nation are extremely limited.

We can't continue to borrow money on the tab of the next generation who will have to pay it back. A project that would involve creating a bridge crossing railroad tracks near every school seems like something that would be extremely costly to plan, construct, and maintain.

Some events in life are awful tradgedies, and that's simply what they are. Are we as safe as we can be in regards to railroad safety? I think that when you look at the big-picture data, the answer is yes. Most of our kids--the vast majority of our kids--are doing the right thing on a daily basis in regards to safety. That doesn't diminish this particular tragedy, but it does illustrate that our limited public resources can better be spent somewhere else.

If friends and relatives of this young girl want to take up a local fund raising drive to build a bridge in their community, that would be fine by me. The idea of using federal money to do so (and potentially in many locations) seems to me to be an inappropriate use of public funds. Those same funds could be better used somewhere else--perhaps even in other (more reasonable) forms of safety measures that will better benefit the public as a whole.

We all take risks in life and unfortunately this person took a risk that cost her the ultimate sacrifice, her life. Hopefully other young people can learn from this experience. But more money being spent on these types of projects won't make any difference. We can't take all risk out of everything in the world, nor can we expect ourselves or our children to live life in a bubble. The world doesn't work that way.

While none of us were killed as children, we were all banged up at one point or another, weren't we? I got a concussion playing football--but that doesn't mean we need congressional action to ban football. I burned myself on a cookie sheet--but that doesn't mean we need to spend millions of dollars making them safer. And I was actually almost killed in a car accident--but that doesn't mean I'd ever advocate that people stop driving or millions of dollars be spent in my name, even if I was.

To reiterate: I didn't write all that I intended to initially and I think I was more abrasive (and less explanatory) than I should have been. But the consequences of profligate spending *are certain* to affect your children and future generations of children far more than the tiny chance that they will be killed by a train. The issue isn't about R's or D's, it's actually apolitical and more about statistics and chance.

This individual tragedy was a tragedy, plain and simple. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. That being said, our resources are not unlimi
I think you are all mistaking causation versus correlation here. She was killed because she wasn't paying attention, not due to a lack of a bridge. If Anna's parents want to foot the tab for the bridge, that's their privilege. But millions of kids *DO* pay attention and *DO* follow safety guidelines and *DO* make it to school each day, just as they have for hundreds of years. No more public money should be spent to memorialize poor decisions that *a few* individuals make in the name of "safety for all."

Stop this boondoggle!
Anna was an amazing girl, I'm not letting someone else lose a friend like I did.
Anna Stickel was one of my best friends and i lost her. I don't want to loose another.
I did not know her but i just saw the story and it really touched me and was shocking. This is terrible! She had her whole life ahead of her. You and your family are very strong to go through this and still help fight to keep others safe.Bless you all.
i think this is a great idea mr tara personally ive used the tracks before but never will again after this i was soo sad and will never forgive myself for this accident and even though i dont walk them now there should still be a bridge other kids still do thinkin this could never happen to them but im sure thats what my friend anna thought so take into consideration if this bridge isnt built this will happen again and again until you do something about it
I'm 31 years old i crossed those tracks when i was 18,with somebody to cross the tall trees from the boys club to go home.And i was not aware of the danger of what could happen,and im lucky to be alive today.So please construct this bridge so that other children dont go through what Mrs. tara , went through with herr child Anna, losing her , that could have been me.
I'm 52 years old,and i used to walk those tracks when I was a teenager. I was not aware of the risk, but later i heard a boy was killed by the trains,and i never forgot it.I'm aware that people have died over the years,crossing the tracks.This walkway is long over-due.PLEASE,save our children.So,other people don't have to grieve for their loved ones.
how incredible you are to fight for the safety of other children in the midst of your deepest heartache
I am so sorry for your pain. I hope this passes!
I was almost killed on these tracks myself while tryin to go to school. I definitely support "Anna's Bridge."
i want this more than anything
hey i joined :D good luck i hope this gets to congress
I didn't realy know Anna, but I know that she loved by many, and will live on in the hearts and memories of many. Also I'm terribly sorry for all of her families and friends loss, she truly was a great girl especialy if she was loved by just about all of baltimore county.
R.I.P anna
i know what its like to loose someone when it could have been provented so my deepest condolinces to all affected, this girl was beautiful and far to young to die
I miss you soooo much i love you babbygurll
imissyouanna
This is so sad. She's so pretty & young, and I'm a kid too. I think I'll be a little more aware now.
I miss you anna!
I miss you Anna
I miss you Anna
Anna, wow i miss you way to much, i will make sure you get your signatures,

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