St. Cloud Crossing Guard Seriously Injured in Near-Fatal Crosswalk Collision

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 12, 2020

Tragedy struck a Florida school district on October 8^th, 2020, after one of their beloved crossing guards was struck by a vehicle. Preliminary collision reports from the St. Cloud Police Department indicate that the 53-year-old victim was performing her usual morning crossing guard duties near the intersection of 13th Street and Michigan Avenue when an oncoming driver failed to stop at a red traffic light and crashed into her.

It was approximately 8 a.m. this past Thursday morning when local authorities first started to receive distressed 9-1-1 calls regarding a car vs. pedestrian accident close to Michigan Avenue Elementary School in Osceola County. According to the information retrieved from witness statements and video surveillance footage recovered from a nearby business, the 53-year-old crossing guard equipped with her handheld stop sign as well as full safety and reflective gear, entered the intersection of 13th Street and Michigan Avenue (after the stoplight had turned red) in order to help the elementary school children cross the typically busy street. It was at this same time that a 57-year-old woman driving a red Dodge Caravan was quickly approaching the area from the east. For reasons that are currently unknown, the driver of the Dodge did not yield or stop for her red traffic signal and crashed into the helpless crossing guard.

Emergency response teams arrived at the scene of the accident to find the 53-year-old victim suffering from critical injuries and multiple fractures as a result of the collision. “The crossing guard actually had her stop sign up, she was directing traffic for children and someone ran the red light and hit her,” one witness stated. She was immediately transported to Osceola Regional Medical Center for additional medical treatment where she is expected to survive. This victim will undoubtedly have a long road of recovery and rehabilitation ahead of them.

An investigation into this accident is currently underway by the St. Cloud Police Department. The 57-year-old Dodge driver remained at the scene after the collision and was said to be in full cooperation with the authorities.

Sources:

• Police: Red-light runner strikes, severely injures St. Cloud crossing guard
• Crossing guard hit by vehicle, Florida school district confirms
• Video shows driver running red light before hitting St. Cloud crossing guard, police say

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.