Photos of Kelly Osmon's active lifestyle fill her Facebook wall.
A quick scroll down the page reveals her interests in mountain climbing, paddle boarding, obstacle courses — such as the "badass" 2014 Tough Mudder — weightlifting and target practicing.
She serves in the U.S. Army Reserves and, in one photo, proudly displays blue high heels, combat boots and pink running shoes, side by side, to show how "well rounded" she is.
The running shoes, in particular, have undoubtedly logged countless miles, as exercise is one of Osmon's passions.
So sitting on the sidelines, watching life pass her by, must be torture for this Crestview resident, who said she was injured in an Oct. 21 hit-and-run.
Osmon just finished her evening run and was walking back to her Grandview Heights home to watch "Survivor."
She likely never imagined she herself would become a survivor on such a routine day. But a car — which the Florida Highway Patrol believes was a small, front-wheel drive, possibly silver vehicle — failed to negotiate the curve in front of Osmon’s Oakcrest Drive home.
The motorist struck her — "hard enough that she came out of her shoes … and her elbows hit the hood of the car, and (her) lower body and upper legs were hit as well," Jennifer Neel, a friend, said on the News Bulletin's Facebook page.
The driver reversed his or her vehicle and sped away, leaving Osmon lying in the grass.
That someone should be unsafe just living life, going through her daily routine, is unfathomable — or, at least, it would be if something similar didn't happen last year.
Valerie Camacho died Sept. 18, 2014, two days after a motorist struck her during her usual jog before sunrise along Antioch Road.
While researching runners' safety and the 17-year-old's death — which, today, still is difficult to write about; no one should die so young — I spoke with a number of residents who, like Osmon, enjoy outdoor exercise.
I heard about "a lot of near misses" and some injuries.
When the News Bulletin reported on Osmon's hit-and-run, the conversation resurfaced. Kat Welty, a frequent commenter and herself a runner, wrote on Facebook that she was not surprised.
"Motorists only look for other vehicles," she said. "It doesn't seem to dawn on them that pedestrians and cyclists use the roads as well."
The experiences she describes are difficult to read.
For instance, she said, "I've been almost taken out by many mirrors from drivers who seem to think their vehicle is going to explode if they cross over the center line in order to put a safe distance between me and their speeding death mobile.
"Most can't even be bothered to slow down.
"I've even had someone yell at me to get off the road as he drove by. And I run on the edge of the road — it's not like I was in the middle. And to top it off, he yelled that as I was crossing a bridge."
This shouldn't be the case. But poor driving habits — such as speeding, texting behind the wheel and leaving too little distance between cars — are a serious concern here. Crestview Police Cmdr. Andrew Schneider said as much in a story we published in the Nov. 14-17 edition.
All this reinforces something Neel said about Osmon's close call.
"(The driver) apparently has no respect for human life because, even if it were a texting-and-not-paying-attention incident, they could have at least made sure she was OK," Neel said.
I agree.
Runners' vulnerable frames are no match for 3,000 pounds of moving steel — which can be, as Welty said, a "speeding death mobile."
The next time you get in a car, please remember that.
Rest in peace, Ms. Camacho.
What's your view? Email tboni@crestviewbulletin.com or tweet @cnbeditor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview runners no match for 'speeding death mobiles'
