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'Caution Deaf Child In Area' Sign Illegal? - WAAYTV.com - Huntsville, Alabama - News Weather, Sports |
Many parents worry about their child accidentally running out in the road and getting hit by a car. Now one Madison County mother is trying to make her road safer for her hearing and vision impaired child but she's running into road blocks. This mother discovered having a sign installed on the street is harder then she imagined.
Ian Oliver has Stickler syndrome. His body will no longer make cartilage and day by day he's going deaf and blind. Despite his disabilities, he's not slowing down. His mother Jennifer Oliver keeps an eye on him while he plays but still worries about his safety.
"Heaven forbid, my son is 2, he's inquisitive, he wants to go and unlock that fence. If he walks outside, he can't see well enough to see that there's a car coming or even hear it," said Jennifer Oliver.
For that reason, speeding cars combined with impaired hearing and vision, Oliver wants a sign to caution drivers installed on her street in Madison County. For weeks, she's been calling commissioners, the county engineer, and the sign department. Oliver says after a couple of visits to her representative, Dale Strong's staff sent her to the sign department.
They told her, "Our legal department will not allow us to put a sign up because that's giving the children license to play in the street," said Oliver.
Just miles down the road, in Madison County, there's a 'Caution Deaf Children at Play' sign posted. Oliver would like a similar sign posted on her street stating ‘Caution Deaf and Blind Child in Area.'
"Anything that would caution anyone driving on this street, hey I might want to take a second look before I speed down this road," said Jennifer Oliver.
WAAY 31 spoke by phone with County Commissioner Dale Strong. He supports the county engineer's recommendations.
"They said whatever the sign department told you, that's the legal way and we can't do it. So I told them it's going to take a child being hit and killed before you might revise that law about putting a sign up. I'm not going to send my child out to play in the street I just want drivers to be cautious," said Oliver.
Strong did not have an answer as to why other 'Caution Deaf Children at Play' signs would be up in the county. WAAY 31 tried to call the county engineer, but he's out of town. We'll follow up with him.
Many parents worry about their child accidentally running out in the road and getting hit by a car. Now one Madison County mother is trying to make her road safer for her hearing and vision impaired child but she's running into road blocks. This mother discovered having a sign installed on the street is harder then she imagined.
Ian Oliver has Stickler syndrome. His body will no longer make cartilage and day by day he's going deaf and blind. Despite his disabilities, he's not slowing down. His mother Jennifer Oliver keeps an eye on him while he plays but still worries about his safety.
"Heaven forbid, my son is 2, he's inquisitive, he wants to go and unlock that fence. If he walks outside, he can't see well enough to see that there's a car coming or even hear it," said Jennifer Oliver.
For that reason, speeding cars combined with impaired hearing and vision, Oliver wants a sign to caution drivers installed on her street in Madison County. For weeks, she's been calling commissioners, the county engineer, and the sign department. Oliver says after a couple of visits to her representative, Dale Strong's staff sent her to the sign department.
They told her, "Our legal department will not allow us to put a sign up because that's giving the children license to play in the street," said Oliver.
Just miles down the road, in Madison County, there's a 'Caution Deaf Children at Play' sign posted. Oliver would like a similar sign posted on her street stating ‘Caution Deaf and Blind Child in Area.'
"Anything that would caution anyone driving on this street, hey I might want to take a second look before I speed down this road," said Jennifer Oliver.
WAAY 31 spoke by phone with County Commissioner Dale Strong. He supports the county engineer's recommendations.
"They said whatever the sign department told you, that's the legal way and we can't do it. So I told them it's going to take a child being hit and killed before you might revise that law about putting a sign up. I'm not going to send my child out to play in the street I just want drivers to be cautious," said Oliver.
Strong did not have an answer as to why other 'Caution Deaf Children at Play' signs would be up in the county. WAAY 31 tried to call the county engineer, but he's out of town. We'll follow up with him.