William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News
GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (CNBNEWS)Oct. 24, 2025)—Sweetie and I were walking in the field across from the Cold Springs today. It was around 8 AM. She was off lead and was healing on my left side. A vehicle came out of nowhere and brushed my right side leg.. When Sweetie saw the car, she ran towards Cold Springs Drive. Fortunately, she came when I called her. I hooked her to her lead and approached the woman, who was still on her computer, and knocked gently on her window. When I explained to her what had happened, she apologized several times.
Despite being so close to me that her car brushed my right leg, the woman said she never saw me.
Neither Sweetie nor I was hurt. Things could have been much worse. During my walks along Cold Springs Drive, I have noticed numerous people texting while driving on that street.
Thank you, God! For protecting both of us.
Sweetie and I continued our walk, and when we reached the Market Street intersection, I took the initiative to speak with the Crossing Guard and the City Police Officer about what had happened. The Crossing Guard asked if I was hurt, and I firmly stated that I was not. He emphasized that many drivers dropping off their children are often distracted by texting while passing him. “In the early morning, with the sun rising, drivers coming east on Market Street from Broadway struggle to block the bright glare with one hand, making it difficult to see,” he stated. He also recalled the tragic incident involving a Crossing Guard who was killed on Market Street years ago. The driver who hit her insisted she never saw her because the sun was so blinding.
Meanwhile, the officer next to me remained preoccupied with fixing the traffic signal and did not contribute to the conversation. The Crossing Guard who lost her life was Vera Hummel, the sister of Billy Flynn, a prominent coach and sporting goods store owner. Vera was more than just a Crossing Guard; she was a dedicated community activist. In her honor, a pine tree and plaque were placed at the entrance of Cold Springs School after her death. It’s unacceptable that both the tree and the plaque are no longer there.
PLEASE DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE!
The police will give you a traffic ticket for texting while driving. I would have wrote her tag down and filed a municipal complaint. The town Prosecutor would handle the case.
You are the complainant and the witness.
I remember back in high school Jimmy Mergenthal hit a parted car on Market Street while heading to the high school.
The sun blinded Merg that morning.
While archery hunting in Alloway my brother Joe’s parked his truck on the road shoulder and it was clobber by a driver blinded by the sun.