A Scary Incident

On Friday, I nearly had an accident in the evening. Hal and I had gone to dinner and were on our way home. Thankfully, I had resisted the temptation to have a drink at dinner because as we were on our way home I came to a red light at a very poorly lit intersection. I came to a stop in the left-turn lane and was watching another car approaching from the opposite direction.  My attention was on that car as it approached the red light from the opposite direction, coasting towards the I tersection with every intent of accelerating when the light turned green.
The light changed and the other car slid through the intersection. My attention was on having a clear path once the vehicle cleared so I could turn left. I then began my left turn only to discover to.my horror that there was a family in the crosswalk! I came to a stop but was within a few feet of them. Just my luck that there was an unmarked police car that had been behind me also waiting to turn left.
The lights came on and I was told to pull over. I complied and waited for the officer to approach the car. Luckily, the man, woman and child in a stroller were alright, but understandably shaken. The officer asked if I had been drinking, and I told him that I had not. Thankfully, that was a true statement. I produced my driver's license and insurance for the officer and he also attended to the family to make certain that they were OK.
I had to perform several tests to prove to the officer that I was sober. I explained that my attention had been on the other vehicle and that i didn't see the family until the last second. I did not point out to the officer that the man and woman were dressed in all black with no bright colors. Tobhave done so would have produced a confrontational attitude with the officer and that is never a goof thing to do.
As things settled down, I was allowed to go on my way. I will definitely be much more cautious the next time I am out, especially when looking out for pedestrians who are dressed completely in black at a poorly-lit intersection.