DILLON - A memorial is taking shape for a young boy who was struck and killed while he was riding his bike through a busy intersection on the evening of Sept. 23 in Dillon.
Community members are now asking what can be done to make the intersection safer for pedestrians.
“I’m Enoch’s grandma and I’m just hoping and praying that this will bring our community together and that somehow, they’ll put lights up for more protection,” says Deb Baker.
WATCH: Dillon community mourn loss of Enoch and call for safer streets
She and her 8-year-old grandson, Mason, the boy’s cousin, are paying their respects to seven-year-old Enoch Haworth, who was struck by a vehicle on the evening of Sept. 23rd while riding his bike in the neighborhood near his home.
“This is not the first time that someone has lost a life here and we’re just praying peace for everyone,” says Baker.
She cradles her grandson, Mason, as they sit on the grass outside Beaverhead High School as hundreds of students shuffle across the intersection between the three buildings that make up the campus.
According to the Beaverhead County Sheriff, a few years ago, another pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in the area of Montana Highway 91 near the high school.
As officials with the high school wearing safety vests look over students as they cross the intersection, Josh Patterson, the superintendent and principal of Beaverhead High School, says he hopes more can be done to make the intersection safer.
“I think we can always do more and sometimes it’s just getting all the parties at the table to come together and come up with a solution that would be in the best interest of all,” says Patterson.
He says that since the intersection is a state highway, there will have to be collaboration between several different agencies, but he is confident that there can be a solution.
As the community grieves, some have stepped forward to support the family.
On a fundraising website Enoch is described as an adventurous, bright and loving child. The page is set up for Enoch’s family. It says the child filled the neighborhood with joy and he left a mark on everyone who knew him.
Businesses in the community, like N&N Ice Cream shop, are also raising funds to support the family.
“It just breaks our hearts, so a little that we can help, I mean, it will help the family with anything – with travel, with work, with anything that they need. It’s a small town, so we all try to help somehow,” says Ericka Delgado with N&N Luncheonette and Ice Cream.
MTN News reached out to the Beaverhead County attorney for more information on the incident, but a response was not received before the story aired. According to a press release from the Beaverhead County police, the incident is under investigation.
