Drunk driver narrowly misses Elkhart crossing guardby Ed Ernstes (ernstes@wsbt.com)
A crossing guard was almost hit by a drunk driver outside Mary Beck Elementary in Elkhart on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. (WSBT photo) ELKHART — There was a close call Wednesday morning for a school crossing guard in Elkhart. And they say it's just the latest example of how drivers are putting your children in danger. Multimedia Police say they're seeing a growing problem with cars driving too fast through school zones, even zipping around crossing guards. A drunk driver nearly ran over one woman as she started to escort school kids across the street for the first day of school. It's a close call they see far too often. “I didn't think he was going to stop,” said crossing guard Germaine Gaugler. She was out in the street to stop traffic for kids heading to Mary Beck Elementary Wednesday morning. That's when a car drove by her, missing her by about a foot. "I just walked across the street, hold out my sign like I always do, and that car just went right through,” she explained. “Lucky there was no kids.” Fellow crossing guard Marilyn Moutria was just down the street. “When I saw the car going that way, I knew it wasn't going to stop — it just went right through,” she said. “When I saw her down there I just said to myself, ‘Oh God.’” But a nearby police officer was also watching — patrolling the school zone for unsafe drivers. “The car right behind me here … almost hit the crossing guard and so he got stopped and next thing you know, he's later determined to be under the influence of alcohol,” Elkhart Police Officer Al Williamson said. "It’s scary," Moutria said. Other crossing guards in the area told WSBT News they also have similar stories of close calls. Rita Snyder is a crossing guard at Roosevelt Elementary. She was almost hit last fall. “A guy approaches as I was crossing the kids and I had the stop sign in the air, and he still couldn't stop so I pushed the kids out of the way, so if he hit anyone, he would hit me,” she recalled. And that's what police want to prevent. "That's why we're out here," Officer Williamson said. If you're caught speeding in a school zone in Elkhart, you could pay anywhere from $150 for being 10+ mph over to $600 for being 30+ mph over. But those fines and speed limits vary from city to city. The crossing guards by Mary Beck told WSBT News cars will drive around them up to 10 times a week. Most PopularMore Good Stuff |
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