A Silly Little Rhyme: A Mother Remembers Her 9-Year Old Daughter Killed In ATV Crash
October 13, 2011
“Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…I love you momma, good night.”
It was perhaps a silly little rhyme, a nighttime ritual of sorts around the Wilburn household. But it was the way daughter Meagan would tell her mom good night each evening, including Monday night, the very last night of her short nine years.
By Tuesday night, mom Rebekah sat next to Meagan’s lifeless form at Sacred Heart Hospital and said the rhyme on more time.
“Mom loves you Meagan, good night.”
Nine-year old Meagan Wilburn always loved to ride her bicycle around the family home on Occie Phillips Road. The home sits in a wooded area about a quarter mile off the roadway. The driveway is an adventurous child’s dream; it has steep terraces (like little hills) throughout to prevent erosion.
Meagan and two others were on an ATV Tuesday afternoon on the driveway when they lost control within sight of the house. The two others were uninjured. But the ATV overturned and landed on Meagan, a part — most likely the handlebar — piercing her chest.
A panicked Rebekah and her father knew it was a very serious injury and rushed Meagan nine miles to the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue where first responders were waiting.
Rebekah stood outside the ambulance in the parking lot of the fire station, wringing her hands and watching through the back windows as first responders worked on her youngest daughter. She was in the front seat of LifeFlight as Meagan was flown to Sacred Heart Hospital for emergency surgery. After surgery, she was moved to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
“The doctor told me I could go in and see her,” Rebekah said. But it began to seem like a long time, and they did not come out and get me.
“Then they called ‘Code Blue’ to the Pediatric ICU,” she said. “We knew it was her.”
“She was such a fighter; she fought for five hours” mom Rebekah said Wednesday. “She was a fighter, stubborn, hard-headed, crazy crazy tough.”
“She had the most beautiful sky-blue eyes and the cutest freckles…those eyes were so hard to say ‘no’ to.”
Meagan enjoyed gymnastics and loved school. She had a perfect straight-A record at Bratt Elementary School, was a member of the Sunshine Math team and received numerous awards. She had recently decided that she loved the color pink.
“Her casket will be white with a pink trim and the outside will be pink.” she said. “There’s a picture in the top that shows ‘in God’s hands’.”
“I didn’t know what else to do for my baby girl. It wanted it to be beautiful. She was so beautiful. It was like she glowed all the time; she was always so happy.”
Rebekah said the one of the things she will miss most about Meagan is their little nighttime ritual.
“It was every night before bed; it was such a stupid saying,” she said. “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…I love you momma, good night.”
“I told her that when I left her at the hospital last night…Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…Mom loves you Meagan, good night.”
Pictured top: Rebekah Wilburn watches through an ambulance window as first responders work to save her 9-year old daughter Meagan Tuesday afternoon following an ATV crash in Walnut Hill. Pictured top inset: Meagan Wilburn’s Bratt Elementary school photo. Pictured bottom inset: Rebekah Wilburn remembers her daughter Wednesday afternoon. Pictured below: Straight-A student Meagan Wilburn received numerous awards at the end of third grade last May at Bratt Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Photos: Molino Park Community Helpers Day
October 13, 2011
It takes a lot of people, and sometimes a lot of big machines, to keep a community running smoothly.
Molino Park Elementary School held a “Community Helpers Day” Tuesday for students to learn about some of people that are hard at work in the Molino area.
The event includes personnel and equipment from Escambia County EMS, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Molino Station of Escambia Fire Rescue, the Florida Division of Forestry, AAA Towing and Transportation, ECUA, the Escambia County School District Maintenance Department, J. Miller Construction and Charles Woodward.
Submitted photos by Candice Blackburn for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Bank Account Established To Help With Funeral For Bratt Student
October 13, 2011
A bank account has been established to help with funeral expenses for 9-year old Megan Wilburn, who died Tuesday following an ATV accident in Walnut Hill.
Donations to help with the Bratt Elementary School student’s burial can be made at any branch of United Bank to the “Meagan Wilburn Benefit Fund”.
Donations can also be mailed to:
Meagan Wilburn Fund
United Bank
P.O. Box 8
Atmore, AL 36504
For more information, call the bank at (251) 446-6000.
Cross Country: Northview, Ernest Ward, Central High Results
October 13, 2011
Northview High and Ernest Ward Middle took part in a cross country meet at Sims Middle School in Pace, while Central High won a meet at Paxton.
For a photo gallery with Northview and Ernest Ward runners, click here.
Northview High School
Northview’s cross country team placed eighth out of eleven teams at Sims Middle School in Pace.
- Top 5 female NHS runners: Georgia Goetter, Lakelynn Parker, Zaccara Davis, Jazzlyn Franklin and Julia Thorpe
- Top 5 male NHS runners: Isaac McGahan, Jarrett Parker, Dakota Craft, Joesph Baldwin, and Jack Floyd
Ernest Ward Middle School
Ernest Ward did not have enough runners to place at a team during the Sims Middle School meet.
- Top EWMS female runners: Bethany Reynolds, Moriah McGahan and Jessica Barrows
- Top EMMS male runners: Zach Calloway, Gavin Coon, Logan Calloway, and Jarred Townley
Central High School
At Paxton, Central High School’s boys and girls finished first. Freshman Kyle Fuller (pictured) was first overall in the cross country meet and broke a school record with a time of 18:03. The top Central female runner was Kennedy Fuller, who is Kyle’s sister. She ran a 21:30 and came in second overall.
- Top 5 male Central High runners: Kyle Fuller, Keifer Boyett, Nick Pooley, Dylan Peacock and Morgan Givens
- Top 5 female Central High runners: Kennedy Fuller, Beth Smith, Erica Waters, Brandi Bradley and Allaina Morrow
Submitted photos by Tammy Parker and Betty Coon for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Camp Fire Kids Hold Trike-A-Thon For Children’s Hospital
October 13, 2011
The children at Camp Fire USA Century Youth Learning Center recently held their third annual Trike-A-Thon in support of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The Camp Fire kids raised a total of $1,153.23 in support of cancer research. The children also learned about bike safety and the importance of wearing a proper helmet. Submitted photos by Pam Townson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
By The Numbers: Century General Election, Absentee Votes
October 13, 2011
Almost half of Century’s registered voters turned out to vote in Tuesday’s election for mayor and two council seats, and the number of absentee ballots casts was consistent with previous elections.
Complete, but unofficial, numbers show that 481 of Century’s 1,027 registered voters cast a ballot — a turnout of about 47 percent. Turnout for the 2010 general election in Century was much lower at just over 29 percent.
Of 481 votes in Tuesday’s general election, 37 percent (180) were absentee. In the 2010 Century election, 34 percent of votes were absentee. By comparison, in Escambia County’s August 2010 primary, 36.8 percent of ballots were absentee.
For more on Tuesday’s election, including candidate reaction, click here for a previous story.
Pictured: Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez review final vote totals Tuesday night at the Century Town Hall. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Bratt Elementary Mourns Death Of Student; Grief Counselors On Hand
October 12, 2011
Bratt Elementary School is mourned the loss of one of their own today, and extra counselors were on hand for students.
Nine-year old Meagan Wilburn, a fourth grade student at Bratt Elementary, passed away Tuesday night at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola following an ATV accident. [Read more...]
“She was such a good student,” Bratt Principal Jeanne Hall said. “She was the sweetest little girl.”
She described her as a smart, caring girl who was on the school’s Sunshine Math Team and loved by her peers.
Hall said fourth and fifth grade students were informed of Wilburn’s death in their classrooms Wednesday morning. She said the school’s guidance counselor was available to talk to students, and the Escambia County School District sent extra grief counselors to the school.
“It’s very hard for them,” Hall said. “We going to watch them closely today and try to be there for anyone that needs to talk to someone.”
Fourth Grader, Age 9, Dies After ATV Accident
October 12, 2011
A 9-year old girl has died as a result of injuries she received in an ATV crash Tuesday afternoon in Walnut Hill.
Meagan Wilburn, a fourth grade student at Bratt Elementary School, passed away Tuesday night at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, according to family members.
Family members said Wilburn was among three people on an ATV at a home on Occie Phillips Road when they struck an embankment and the ATV overturned. An unknown object penetrated her chest. The other two individuals on the ATV were not seriously injured.
Wilburn’s mother and grandfather drove her about nine miles in a pickup truck from the extremely rural home to the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue to meet awaiting first responders. She was airlifted by LifeFlight to Sacred Heart Hospital.
Meagan Wilburn is survived by her mother, Rebekah Wilburn, and siblings Cailee Wilburn and Tyler Love. Funeral services are incomplete at this time.
Pictured above and below: Nine-year old Meagan Wilburn was driven to the Walnut Hill Station of Escambia Fire Rescue following an ATV accident Tuesday afternoon on Occie Phillips Road. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Defeated Century Mayoral Candidate Crying Foul
October 12, 2011
The challenger in Tuesday’s election for Century mayor is crying foul and throwing out multiple allegations, saying he plans to protest his loss to incumbent Mayor Freddie McCall.
Final unofficial totals showed McCall was reelected with 61 percent of the vote — 292 votes to Hawkins’ 186 votes. McCall received 150 absentee votes, while Hawkins received 30. It’s the absentee votes where Hawkins said the election was flawed.
Hawkins told NorthEscambia.com shortly after the final totals were announced that he plans to file complaints with the Florida Secretary of State and the governor’s office over the absentee ballots for McCall.
“I know there’s been problems with absentee ballots,” Hawkins said. “That’s what I’m questioning, I’m challenging…is that election process. If it’s not fair, it’s not fair.”
He claimed three people attempted to vote in person Tuesday at Century City Hall, but they were told they had already voted absentee when, in fact, that had not.
“I don’t mind losing; I’m not a sore loser,” he said. “But I like to be beat fair and square. And this was not fair at all. I can’t compete against a man that has everything from the city at his disposal, so he’s paving streets, putting up speed breakers as special favors and also letting people’s water bills slide.”
Hawkins also claimed that no results from the absentee ballots were provided Tuesday night as Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford watched over Century’s canvassing board as votes were counted.
“They haven’t given the absentee ballot scores, how many people voted absentee ballot, when absentee ballots is what killed us in every election,” he said.
However, the absentee ballot results were clearly posted on the front door of the Century Town Hall right after they were tabulated.
For complete results from Tuesday’s election in Century, click here.
Pictured: Defeated Century mayoral candidate Henry Hawkins writes down vote totals as they are announced Tuesday night. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Century Mayor Freddie McCall Wins; Incumbent Council Members Reelected
October 12, 2011
Century Mayor Freddie McCall and two incumbent council members were all reelected Tuesday.
Complete, but unofficial, results show that McCall, who was elected for his first term in 2007, received 61 percent percent of the vote and was reelected to his second term as mayor. Challenger Henry Hawkins received 39 percent of the vote.
“I’m excited, I’m relieved, I’m humbled,” McCall told NorthEscambia.com shortly after the final votes were tabulated. “I’ve tried to run a good clean race, and I’ve just been running on my record. I think my record stood for itself.”
“I’m just looking for four more years of progress,” he said. “I’m going to fight for industry to come in.”
Hawkins, former council member, was crying foul Tuesday night after the final vote tally, saying the election process was flawed. Read more….
For council Seat 1, incumbent Ann Brooks defeated Pamela MacArthur. For Seat 2, Annie Savage defeated former mayor Evelyn Hammond. Council members in Century serve a four year term.
About 47 percent of Century’s 1,027 registered voters took part in Tuesday’s election.
Complete, but unofficial results, were as follows:
Mayor
- Freddie McCall (I) – 292 — 61%
- Henry Hawkins -186 – 39%
Seat 1
- Ann Brooks (I) – 288 — 61%
- Pamela MacArthur – 182 — 39%
Seat 2
- Annie Savage (I) – 315 — 66%
- Evelyn Hammond – 164 — 34%
For more photos from the vote count at Century Town Hall and from Mayor Freddie McCall’s celebration party, click here.
Pictured top: Incumbent Mayor Freddie McCall shakes hands with defeated challenger Henry Hawkin after Century election results were announced Tuesday night at Century Town Hall. Pictured inset: Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford and Century Town Clerk Leslie Gonzalez review final vote totals. Pictured below: Annie Carter Savage and her husband Lloyd react to the news that she has been reelected to the Century Town Council. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
