Terra Star Jackson was a beloved sixth-grade student at Grange Middle School in Fairfield, known for her sweetness and vibrancy. However, on Sunday, her family was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to take her off life support, after Terra never regained consciousness following a tragic accident.
The young girl was struck in a crosswalk outside her school three days earlier. Her mother, Barbara Jackson, dropped off Terra and her twin brother at the school at 8 a.m. on Thursday, only to receive a call from the police shortly after, informing her of the accident.
Despite efforts to save Terra’s life, her injuries proved fatal, and her family was left to grieve the loss of a beautiful soul.
“That’s the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life. To make a decision to tell somebody to turn a machine off because my baby’s leaving me,” said Barbara Jackson in a tearful interview outside Children’s Hospital Oakland.
The driver, Elena McGraw-Ogans, was arrested on suspicion of driving a vehicle while impaired and child endangerment, as there were children in her vehicle. The family, however, believes that more could have been done to prevent the accident from happening in the first place.
“There were no crossing guards there at the school. No buttons for the kids to push to cross the street – nothing,” said Jackson.
Upon investigation by KTVU, the crosswalk was found to be unsafe, with numerous drivers speeding through the area and failing to stop even when cameras were rolling. The family wants immediate action to be taken to improve the safety measures around the school.
“I do not want her life to be in vain. Something needs to be done, and I want help other children and parents from having to go through this,” said Jackson.
Terra’s family hopes that her tragic death will lead to changes in the school and the city’s policies regarding pedestrian safety, to prevent similar accidents from happening to other families.
Terra was a compassionate and caring child who dreamed of becoming a doctor to help people’s hearts. Her family has decided to donate her organs, so her heart can help another child live. “That’s what she would have wanted,” said her mother.
