On the first day of classes after the winter break, the school crossing guard was knocked to the ground by an errant driver.
By Matt Skoufalos
Oaklyn School. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
A crossing guard at the Oaklyn School allegedly was struck by a taxi driver Monday morning while in the process of crossing children in the middle of Kendall Boulevard.
The incident occurred at 7:55 a.m. at “very slow speed,” said Oaklyn Police Chief Mark Moore.
The crossing guard was transported to Cooper Medical Center with minor lacerations to the back of her head and pain in her left elbow and knee.
Moore said that medical imaging tests came back negative for more serious injuries.
The driver apparently “didn’t see her at all,” Moore said.
“There’s definitely bad sun glare as you approach the school,” the chief said, while noting that the crossing is clearly marked; even preceded by “flashing lights half a block before the intersection.”
Aside from the health of the school employee, authorities are naturally concerned with the safety of the students after such an event.
“Thank goodness the kids were still off to the side on the sidewalk, but there was a few that witnessed it and they could have gotten hit,” Moore said.
“The cab driver didn’t know the area that well, I think,” he said.
“But people from the area know the times the kids are going to school and dismissing, so most of them will slow down and be aware of the children around them. Any time at a school intersection, [drivers] should just slow down and be aware of their surroundings.”
Moore said that the incident is still under investigation and that “[motor vehicle] charges are definitely pending” for the driver, “but nothing criminal that we see at this point.”
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