Having Bloomington's Staff Traffic Advisory Committee examine the traffic situation around the scene of a tragic fatal accident earlier this week is, as Alderman Karen Schmidt described it, "the responsible thing to do."

Schmidt requested the review after the death of 10-year-old Travell Arrington, who died Tuesday after being struck by a semitrailer truck while he was riding his bicycle.

The truck was on Brown Street, turning into the Pilot truck stop parking lot, when the accident occurred.

Following the accident, people have described the area as "an accident waiting to happen." It is very congested, with commercial and residential areas virtually on top of each other. Traffic sometimes backs up onto Market Street as trucks attempt to enter or leave the parking lot.

Statistics might not show a large number of accidents, but because of the presence of so many large trucks, the potential consequences from an accident are severe.

This accident could have involved a pedestrian, a car or another semi, but it involved a young boy, riding bikes with other children on what was a carefree summer day. Such a death touches all of us, as we picture our own children, nieces, nephews or young neighbors.

When a tragedy like this happens, it's natural to want to place blame on someone or something - the truck driver, the young boy, parents, the design of the street.

If we can blame someone for being at fault - for doing something wrong - then we feel like we have more control over the situation. We feel like we can prevent something similar from happening again, or at least prevent it from happening to us or someone we know.

But sometimes accidents are just accidents, with little anyone can do to prevent them. A series of unfortunate circumstances converge, one life is lost and other lives are changed forever.

But "the responsible thing to do" is to examine the situation closely and try to find a way to make the area safer, even if all accidents can't be prevented.

The committee, which meets Wednesday, can look at such things as the amount of traffic, accident frequency and street markings.

Perhaps changing traffic patterns and/or reconfiguring the parking lot entrances and exits could decrease the chances of other accidents, even if such changes might not have helped in this case.

Whatever reasonable steps can be taken to improve safety should be considered, not only around Brown and Market streets but also on nearby streets in this congested area.

It is important to look for answers, even if there are no answers to be found.