The family of a Livonia teenager who died after being hit by a pickup truck last month say the pedestrian signals at the intersection where he was struck are unsafe.

    Christopher Kempa's father and mother, Adam and Fran Kempa, and brother, also named Adam, say the signals at Merriman and West Chicago don't allow people enough time to cross safely. The Kempas say they're aware of two separate incidents, since the accident, of the lights malfunctioning.

    "Moms better check the timing of the lights, and they'd better check the functioning of the lights" before having their children cross busy streets, Fran Kempa said.

    Chris, 16, was on his way to Franklin High School on Nov. 20 when he was struck shortly before 7 a.m. by a northbound pickup at northeast corner of the intersection. He was remembered as a talented, sensitive artist; there was an exhibit of his artwork at Franklin earlier this month, and memorial contributions are benefiting the school's art department.

Investigation planned

    The Kempas say they don't know if the lights were working improperly as Chris, heading east, crossed Merriman that morning. They have hired an attorney, Brian Benner, who said he plans to investigate and have a traffic engineer evaluate the intersection.

    The family is considering legal action.

    But Livonia police and Wayne County officials say the light was working Nov. 20.

    "There is no reason at all to think, or to suggest, that the signal played a role in the accident," said John Roach, spokesman for the county's roads department, which maintains the light.

    The light was checked after the crash, Road said, and was found to be in good order.

    Roach acknowledged the two problems, since the accident, that the Kempas discussed.

    On one occasion, he said, the traffic lights were flashing red and yellow when they should have been going through the green-to-red cycle. That was fixed immediately, he said.

    On another, an electrical malfunction caused the "walking man" figure, normally illuminated by a white light, not to light up on the pedestrian signals at all four corners of the intersection, Roach said.

    Chris Kempa's father said he noticed "walking man" lights out on Dec. 9 when he visited the roadside memorial Chris' friends and family members have built. He returned with a video camera to document the problem.

    That was not fixed until the afternoon of Dec. 12, the Kempas said, posing a danger to people crossing for several days.

Timing questioned

    Adam Kempa timed the pedestrian lights, and said the "walk" signals light up for eight seconds, followed by 16 seconds of flashing "don't walk" signals. Livonia police came up with the same times during their crash investigation, and concluded the light had been working properly, according to a police report.

    But Adam Kempa wonders whether that's enough time for pedestrians stepping off the curb. He said he tried to cross, shortly after his son died, and started out safely.

    But, partway across, "I was in two lanes of traffic moving in, just like Chris had been," he said.

    Fran Kempa said the stereo headphones found at the accident scene, which caused some to speculate that Chris had been wearing them when he was hit, had fallen out of his school bag, which was ripped open by the impact. Chris' portable stereo remained in the bookbag, she said.

    As the county prosecutor's office weighs charges against the 26-year-old driver of the pickup, the Kempas are frustrated.

    "I don't understand why at least a ticket hasn't been issued," Fran Kempa said.

A step from safety

    The driver, who police estimate was traveling between 36 mph and 43 mph at the time, was going too fast, considering the pedestrian crossing and the nearby Peace Evangelical Lutheran grade school, the Kempas said. The speed limit there is 40 mph.

    Witnesses told police Chris was near the middle of the intersection when the light turned green for traffic on Merriman. "It is reasonable to believe that the vehicles in the left through lane" - which had been stopped for the red light - "may have interfered with the pickup driver's line of sight," the police report says.

    The pickup was in the right lane when it hit Chris, and was damaged on its right side, leading the Kempas to believe that Chris was just a step from the curb, and safety.