The headline on the first page of the sports section in the Malone Telegram on Saturday, April 24, read: “Former Kentucky basketball player Terrence Clarke dies in car accident at age 19.” The article, by Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader, Lexington, Kentucky, states that former University of Kentucky basketball player Terrance Clarke was killed in a car accident in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 22, the L.A. Police Department confirmed.

But was this incident really an accident? The work “accident” implies that this tragedy was unavoidable — not really the fault of anyone. However, reading further in the article, we find that at the time of the crash Clarke was driving well over the speed limit in a 2021 Hyundai Genesis, according to Sgt. John Matassa with the LAPD Valley Traffic Division.

“He did run a red light, and was traveling a high rate of speed,” Matassa said in a phone interview. “He collided with a vehicle that was making a left turn, and he continued and hit a street light pole and ultimately hit a block wall.” Matassa said a surveillance camera at a nearby residence substantiated those details.

Matassa said Clarke’s car was traveling 80 mph in a 45 mph zone and that the weather was not a factor.

So could this be just an accident? As I have written in a number of these weekly articles, we, as a society, need to change our reference to car “accidents” and call them what they really are — crashes or collisions.

This young man was described as so full of life and so full of promise. He played one season of basketball at Kentucky and entered his name in the NBA draft in March and was training in Los Angeles in preparation for pre-draft workouts.

So here was a 19-year old teen with the world in his hands who made a series of very bad choices that resulted in his death. He chose to speed — 80 mph in a 45 mph zone is not accidental. You know you are way above the speed limit. He also chose not to wear a seat belt — another poor choice that contributed to his death. He also chose to run a red light, resulting in his collision with another vehicle. When you chose to run a red light, isn’t it a high probability you might collide with another vehicle?

As I have told the students in every driver ed class that I speak to, they are new drivers, inexperienced, and need to learn not only from their mistakes but from other drivers’ mistakes as well. To all you drivers and potential drivers — please learn a lesson from this tragic crash. You are in control of your vehicle. Your choices can mean life or death — not just for you but for others. Please, choose to do the right things — like obeying vehicle and traffic laws, and paying full attention to the task of driving. You may think you are great at multi-tasking, but not when you are driving a 3,000-pound vehicle that is capable of killing you and others. It’s too dangerous!