NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A crossing guard was hit by a vehicle in North Tonawanda Tuesday morning.
According to the North Tonawanda Chief of Police, a 78-year-old male was hit at the intersection of Abington Place and Ohio Street outside Ohio Elementary School.
Witnesses told 2 On Your Side he was struck by a driver who failed to stop at a stop sign after being warned.
However, North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec said that the incident appears to have been an accident. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and is cooperating with police.
The crossing guard was taken to ECMC for treatment. According to a post by the North Tonawanda Neighborhood Watch on Facebook, he has since been released.
The crossing guard was said to have been hit while kids were arriving at school. He was also able to walk to the ambulance after being hit according to Tylec.
Parents tell 2 On Your Side there have been a number of close calls at the intersection.
“We do have quite a few instances of people running stop signs,” parent Michael Rottger said. “There's been numerous times where I've had to pick my daughter up and throw her onto the sidewalk so she didn't get hit. It's time for some change around here.”
Rottger started a petition after school Tuesday to get a meeting with North Tonawanda police to discuss more funding for crossing guards at the intersection.
Tylec, who wasn’t available for an on-camera interview Tuesday evening, said he’s been in contact with the school’s superintendent and says they are actively working to discuss methods to make the intersection safer.
He said he is not aware of any other incidents that have occurred at that intersection but did mention that they recently installed additional “slow” signs near the intersection at the request of the crossing guards.