Crossing guards play an important role in protecting schoolchildren from automobile accidents. Similarly, bus drivers play a vital role in providing a safe environment for children by operating their buses in a safe manner.
Maryland law enforcement authorities are investigating a recent accident between a school bus and a crossing guard. The accident sent the 54-year-old crossing guard to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition.
Although authorities are still investigating the accident, they believe the accident was a result of the bus driver ignoring the crossing guard’s right of way. The crossing guard apparently entered an intersection near Point Pleasant Elementary to help a student cross the street at 7:41 a.m. After stopping the bus at the intersection, police believe the bus driver made a left turn and hit the 54-year-old woman in the crosswalk. A police spokesman said there is no indication that the student was still in the crosswalk at the time of the accident.
Robert Berned witnessed the accident after dropping his daughter off at the school. He rushed to the crossing guard’s aid and found her lying unconscious and bleeding in the middle of the street. Berned and another man wrapped her in a blanket to shield her from the rain. Berned remarked that the crossing guard actually rose to her feet with the assistance of the two men. “Anyone who could get up from that has amazing strength.” Berned said. “She was a strong woman.”
The bus driver, who had been working for the county for nearly five years, will not be driving a school bus until the school board conducts an investigation into the accident.
Source: The Capital, “Crossing guard hit by school bus in critical condition,” Ben Weathers, 5/5/2011
