Any child's sudden accidental death is heartbreaking. The death of 12-year- old Tess Marie Stevens of Oak Run, following a bit of innocent youthful horseplay and less than a year after her mother died in an ATV wreck, is sad beyond words.
And such an incident forces the question of whether it could have been prevented.
But you have to wonder if they should. And, even if the law doesn't demand it, property developers ought to seek out good security fencing.
The needless death of a curious, wandering child is motivation enough, but it's not just freak accidents that make fences a good idea.
Fencing costs money, but preventing theft, vandalism and attempts at teenage joyriding on the heavy equipment is also good business. So is trimming the bills on liability insurance.
But fundamentally it comes down to safety. A construction site has a natural attraction to kids. No, they obviously shouldn't be playing in one, but children shouldn't wander into a neighbor's pool or the remains of a fire-gutted building either. Because they might, and might be injured doing so, fences are required around those hazards.
Many cities in California and elsewhere require security fencing around building or demolition sites, for all the obvious reasons. Should our north state jurisdictions do the same?
The question is certainly worth careful study. Whatever the local planning department might require, though, a good fence is a very good idea.
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