Our hearts go out to the people involved in Friday morning’s tragic bus accident that killed 4-year-old Jameer Woodley, including the family of the youngster, the bus driver and all of those children who witnessed the horrific event unfold.

The death was part of a tragic three-week-long period here that started Dec. 20, when a 7-month-old boy was killed after his family’s vehicle hit a tree in Suffolk. The boy’s mother died from the same accident on Christmas Eve. On Dec. 23, a woman from Murfreesboro, N.C., died when her car struck the same tree. A Smithfield teenager was killed in a hunting accident on Dec. 29, a woman from North Carolina died when her vehicle was hit by a falling tree on New Year’s Eve, a young father’s life was cut short in a needless car wreck on Tuesday, and a Capron Town Council member died when his truck was T-boned by a semi on Friday night.

At the very least, these disasters should remind us all how precious and short life really is. Hug your friends and family and tell them you love them today.