A single individual – whose identity remains unknown – lit the fuse of the rocket that exploded on 16-year-old Sean Lavallee who suffered deep burns to 90 percent of his thigh, which required skin grafts and an extended hospital stay after a July 4 celebration on Walker Pond.
Five months later and no one has stepped forward with an apology or to claim responsibility. And an entire community, the Walker Pond neighborhood, remains silent on the matter, despite being home to many people who have done a great deal of good for Sturbridge and surrounding towns in a variety of ways both public and private.
Hundreds of witnesses were present, but no one saw a thing? Hard to believe.
That’s where the case stands now, the story continues to unfold as
Sean and his father David Brown will testify before a grand jury and tell the court their story.
According to Brown one man, who apparently had been drinking, accidentally dropped the road flare that set off fireworks into the crowd.
Police, fire and town officials all confirmed the display was illegal. The alleged addition of alcohol to the mix can only be described as an act of gross negligence. Keep in mind Sean did not attend an event hosted by teenagers, on some back road, where the booze was bought with a fake I.D. and the fireworks were picked up in New Hampshire the day before.
Adults coordinated, or at the very least condoned, the party on the shores of Walker Pond. These were men and women with careers in professional fields like law and education, yet their reaction to this accident has been juvenile.
The pain, physical and mental, Sean endured can’t be erased, obviously. But it’s not too late for whoever is responsible to step forward, apologize, and accept responsibility. If his conscience doesn’t compel him to own up to his mistake, hopefully the courts will.
And it’s not too late for the Walker Pond Association to apologize for their role – however limited – in the affair.
Denying the facts, even if done skillfully, consistently and with great knowledge of the law, does not make them go away.
For the safety of all, leave the fireworks to the professionals next year.
I applaud the Town Common for its courage and candor in addressing this issue. An apology is long overdue from those responsible and from our town leadership. The overwhelming majority of residents in the area are absolutely wonderful people who as indicated, have contributed significantly to this community. Perhaps the reluctance for some to cooperate stems from misguided but well intentioned legal advice from friends. For others, it may simply be an unwillingness to accept responsibility and accountability for their actions. This is troubling for it sends an extremely disturbing message to our children, who are always watching and learning from the examples we set for them.
One has to wonder about the level of sentiment those involved with this ‘wall of silence” would be experiencing were it their child who had been seriously injured. One could only surmise that their reactions would have been entirely the opposite. It is said, that “Character is formed through adversity” and clearly we’re faced with an unfortunate situation becoming increasingly more disturbing with each passing day; made so by the refusal of those to step up and do the right thing.
The lesson this incident is conveying to our children, our neighbors, and ourselves is an unsettling one – “take not responsibility for one’s actions, demonstrate not the example of personal accountability, but instead turn the other way, protect oneself at all costs, and think not about our duty to our fellow man”. This is a rather sad commentary about exactly who some among us – willingly or not – are demonstrating themselves to be.
I am sure most would agree, this is not the legacy we would choose to leave to our children. The many good people of the neighborhood deserve a better reputation than this and it is within the power of some within that area to make things right.
By: TRC on December 10, 2008
at 2:06 pm