Yes it’s sad that Michael Jackson died too young, another divinely talented soul  gone from this place.  But there are other important stories in the news today, stories that are overshadowed by the pop star’s untimely death.  In Oklahoma yesterday afternoon nine people died horrible deaths in a highway wreck that sounds hauntingly familiar.

When my husband told me there had been a wreck in Oklahoma my heart already knew.  He began by stating that traffic had been stopped on the freeway.   I knew the rest of it before the words were out of his mouth.  A semi slammed into the back of an SUV, then into other vehicles.  Eight adults and a child are gone.  They didn’t live extravagant lifestyles,  they didn’t cause crowds to scream, they weren’t worth billions, didn’t owe millions, weren’t particularly special.  Except to their families; to their friends and families these nine people were priceless.

So.  Is nine lives enough for us and for our legislators to take notice?  How many is enough?  Five thousand people are truck crash victims every year.  When is enough enough?   Of course we don’t know yet what kept that truck driver from seeing all the traffic stopped ahead.  We don’t know if fatigue was a factor.  The news report indicate alcohol was not involved.  If not drink, then what?

We need to find out.  And we need to make sure this tragedy isn’t buried under celebrity news.  These nine people deserve as much attention as the other stories of the day.  Their lives were worth as much, their deaths should not go unnoticed.