Was the crossing guard in the street crossing the girls???

@Michelle b - He was apparently on the corner diagonally opposite them. He said they had the light and were within the crosswalk, but he was not assisting them in the street as they crossed

I did'nt even have to read the story to know where this accident happened. I had complained to the FLPD about this guy last year. He NEVER crosses the kids at this intersection. All he does is sit in his car in the old Bank of America parking lot. On the rare occasion he's out of his car, he is standing next to it(in the lot) monitoring the kids. Every kid that crosses on his shift are on their own. I frequent this route every morning and afternoon and every other guard is standing on the corner, in all types of weather and walk into the street to cross the kids. On a few occasions after school I used my car to block the intersection to let kids cross. I hope this guy gets fired for not doing his job properly. I also hope the 2 girls recover quickly.

That's the officer I spoke to Officer Franco to complain about him...He said he'd look into it....Good looking out....instead of Officers ticketing parents at the local elementary schools they should have watched this post a little better, maybe this situation would not have happened.

Agree on all points. Thank you for speaking up!

Yeah...enough with ticketing parents.Uncalled for.

What part of " crossing with the light and in the crosswalk " do you not understand? Blame the inattentive driver NOT a crossing guard!!!!
Then again you could be the next inattentive driver since you want the violations around elementary schools ignored

Wall.flower. That's great if the kids were crossing after 4pm. But with hired guards on duty during their shift they should be doing their job. As for violations around schools it would appear that dropping kids off curb side is far less dangerous than letting them cross within crosswalks monitored by borough employees.

We had an issue with a "crossing" guard on the other side of town and you really have to be on top of the issue with Officer Franko and they will do something. Our guy would stay in the car and fall asleep and or smoke on his watch. Especially since this happened, whoever has children over there has to call and go to the police department and make a stand.

That intersection has to be one of the worst to patrol. Not only is it very busy, the guard has to deal with Forrest, Memorial and the High School students. Historically the guard has always been stationed between the bank and 7-11. When I went to school I was always taught to stay on the side with the crossing guard. It looks from the photo they may have been crossing at the Maple Auto side. My mother always yelled at me if she found out I was on that side, because you ARE on your own. Instead of expecting an aged "borough employee" to run from corner to corner teach your children to walk on the side with the crossing guard and they'll be much safer.

Hope the driver spends a few weeks in jail and loses her driver license for the rest of her life. She is a danger to the society and "accident" excuse does not apply here

Are you seriously going to keep blaming these girls? It is a known fact that this intersection is dangerous. The guard should be out on his post not sitting in his car. If he isn't authorized to cross kids near Maple Auto then maybe another guard should hired to work that side. I have never heard such nonsense that a crossing guard only guards one side of the intersection. If its too much for him to handle get somebody over there that does the job right before a kid is killed.

It' appears that u must either be the crossing guard or know him personally to keep defending him And in reference to your expecting a borough employee to slave cater to every whim, I didn't realize that you can be an employee of any employer not work and collect a check. Maybe u should start frequenting the area before and after school to see how useless this guy is even on his side of the street. And in my better judgment I have taught my kids to avoid this intersection and useless guard and make them walk 2 blocks over to a crossing guard who caters to the kids and does his job properly no matter which side of the street someone decides to cross.

I've driven through that corner every morning since my kids started attending middle school, and the guard does a lousy job of watching out for the kids. I agree that there are times he does not even get out of the car, or walks the kids only to the middle of the street, regardless of what the light is doing. On the other hand, there are a lot of people that fail to understand that children are walking, and just jump the nanosecond the light turns, both there and along River Road and Fair Lawn Avenue, don't look for pedestrians in the crosswalk at all, no matter what age they are, and fail to understand that if the lighting is bad, they need to go only as well as they can see.

My kids know how to cross the street and they also know to listen to me when I tell them to avoid that corner. By the way it was nice to see you out of the car today and actually standing on the corner working even crossed a few adults. Looked good. . I'm sure once this story blows over you will be back to your old self . I'm done with this thread I have wasted enough time.

Sounds like KIM got her share of tickets ignoring laws and rules of common sense....Typical entitled angry " not my kid" Parent

So BellairBerdan, it's now the fault of the parents? First you blame the girls, then their parents, when the people clearly at fault are the adults on the scene, the driver and the guard. You clearly have some type of agenda, and when you're called out on it you revert to namecalling, and changing the subject to parents idling in a yellow zone. Is that the same thing as an "aged" crossing guard allowing two kids be struck by cars in your world? Nearly everyone else on here has had experience with that particcular guard, and it hasn't been good. But you want to blame the girls and their parents, and when someone disagrees with you they're "entitled". Guess who sounds entitled?

You suggesed another poster apply for the guard job. You shouldn't. It doesn't seem you have the most basic requirements for it.

I by no means am entitled and NEVER was issued a ticket I feel bad for the parents that are ticketed for dropping off their kids curbside which after all the idiotic comments made here seems as the only logical choice since there are drivers and kids on all streets who appear to be risking their lives crossing streets manned by borough employees who are only allowed to work a certain section.

Where is this ticketing blitz happening? Cause I can think of several places where it is needed.

That's your version of common sense? The kids should cross yet another street because the person paid to help them cross the street they need to cross is incompetent? Brilliant. Maybe they should walk to the next closest light, at Morlot, and cross there and walk all the way back. That's safer too, right? We wouldn't want the guard to have to do his job and cross the kids safely at all four corners. The "aged borough employee" shouldn't exert himself to simply cross the kids. In your words, that would be akin to working as "a slave to cater to their whims". A slave? Because he has to get the kids across the street safely? What the hell are you even talking about? He's a slave because he has to cross the kids?

In your scenario, where the kids should cross where the guard is: Where should they cross when the guard is sitting in his car in the parking lot of the old bank? I have personally witnessed this, and so have others on here. Maybe they should walk in circles in the parking lot. After all, it's safer. The guard is there.

And why do you keep bringing up parking tickets? I, and several posters on here have issue with the guard and no issue with the police. One raised the point that while our kids were getting struck by cars parents were getting "No Standing" tickets. So what? Why do you completely change the subject and try to steer the issue away from the accident? I do hope your "government job" doesn't require any sense.

Just read the article again. The car was turning left onto River from Berdan and struck the girls from behind which means the girls were crossing in the crosswalk on the RIGHT side of the street like their parents taught them where the paid employee should have been on patrol Since he sits in his car on that side in the former BAM parking lot. If he was doing his job and was out in the street slave catering to their whim maybe he would have been hit or this entire scenario could have been prevented. But since the kids, driver and anyone who disagrees is an entitled resident of Fair Lawn it seems as though this girls deserved this. Keep up the good work. Ill pass on crossing guard and will apply to Head Traffic Division Supervisor when it becomes available since this guy should have been fired yesterday.

THE DRIVER WAS THE VICTIM!
She should sue:
The girls--because they crossed the path of her car
The crossing guard--because of his job title
All the other drivers--because they shouldn't have been there when she was turning
Tim Franco--just because
The sun--for causing the glare

Bellair Berdan are u educated? Read the article AGAIN. the kids did cross on the correct side. The guard was probably standing/sitting there as usual, as he made a statement that he witnessed the accident. the girls probably crossed themselves like they always do. Had the guard walked into the intersection put up his STOP SIGN to cross these kids the car would not have turned. But you can assume that since the guard didnt move LIKE ALWAYS the car turned. Stop commenting already if your re-read the article you'll clearly see where these kids were crossing which was on the correct side of the street. If this guy can't handle crossing kids at this intersection, since its clearly a high traffic area with kids from multiple schools and cars, he needs to get off the post. And PS your friend brought up your government job and as u fail to read the article and contine to rant about nonsense I'm sure your good at what you do, just like the crossing guard.

Bellair: You're right. ALL of our kids should cross on a certain corner because the guards are too old to cross them at any corner. And if they're hit by a car while crossing with the light it's at least partly their fault, and their parents' fault. That's what you're saying, I'm not making that up. In fact, I COULDN'T make up the fact someone said that, it would be an insult to a person with even average intelligence.

You ask if I feel "entitled" to let my kids take 5 more chances at getting hit by a car and make old people run across 6 lanes of traffic. I ask you, "What does that even mean?" Do I feel entitled to let my kids take chances at getting hit by a car? If you can re-phrase that and try to make it intelligible I'll answer that for you. In the meantime, I have some questions for you:

Do you know what "entitled" means? Do you know what "hysterical" means? Do you know how to count lanes of traffic?

You ask: "BTW what happens when children are coming from Forrest at the same time? Who does he pick to cross?"

For this, I have an answer for you: He crosses neither when he's sitting in his car.

You also ask:

"Would it be because if I was a govt. employee somehow I would be less than you and therefore work for you?"

Where does that come from? I sense some serious self-esteem issues. You may or may not be less than me but your job has little to do with it.

That's all you pick up from that article is that he was caddy corner? READ ALL STATEMENTS in the article. That statement obviously came from the crossing guard, which in that case can only mean he must have been standing on the corner near Joy Dental, which would put him off his post on work time, since according to you he is not paid to work that side. If they were coming from Memorial, hit from behind, as the car was making a left onto River from Berdan, these kids were crossing on the RIGHT side of the crosswalk where the guard SHOULD have been standing. You really don't need that much education or commen sense to read what's printed and replay how the accident happened. Your constant comments about nonsense are making Michael Agosta seem like a genius.

Once again, you deflect and resort to name calling, because your argument is specious. What matters to me is two girls were hit by a car despite crossing with the light at a corner where there is a crossing guard, who has a tendency to sit in his car when he's supposed to be working (which you never addressed -- and I have a comprehension problem?). That's all there is to it, no matter how you try to spin and deflect. And if he really did work for me he would have been fired long ago.

Try to argue your point without resorting to name-calling and conjecture, your opinion might merit some respect. Right now it doesn't.

I do blame the driver. The driver was turning with the light, and she had the sun in her face, so there may be some leeway, but she is to blame, no doubt. I though that was a given. Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. But I also blame the guard, who has no excuse, except in your world, where the girls are on the "wrong" corner. You feel the girls, and their parents, should share blame. That's mindless to me.

By the way, do you have a list of the right and wrong corners for every street where there's a guard? And which corner is the "right" corner when the guard is in his car? Still wonder about that.

I never said crossing six streets is wiser than crossing once. I DON'T believe that. That's in your head. You seem to create theories in your head and apply them to others (I care where you work, I don't teach my kids where to cross, I'm entitled, I think crossing six lane is better than one or whatever, etc.).

The point is this: I believe the guard should cross the kids when they appear at the corner, regardless of which corner they're on. That's it. If he's too old to do it, if he feels he's enslaved because of it, then he shouldn't do it. And when kids get hit by a car crossing with the light on a corner where there is a crossing guard, you have to expect that he -- not the parents or the kids themselves -- has to share some of the blame.

Now why would CC do that. According to her it's irrelevant if a crossing guard is manning a post. It's up to parents to teach their kids the proper way to cross the street, highways included. And if River Road is to much to handle what makes you think a crossing guard can handle crossing kids across a highway. I say good move to that district once less dummy collecting a check

I find it quite amusing how you keep making personal digs against Me and the Squirrel. It amazes me how I have re-posted the scenario which is printed above and you keep resorting to personal attacks. I just quoted what you stated during your numerous rants and instead of owning it u question my parenting. I know the parent I am and fluffing off responsibility is definitely not me. All government employees like yourself should put as much effort into your day jobs like you do here posting nonsense on the Patch. I hope that the next accident that happens on River Road and even in your district is not that serious bc the defense of parents teaching their kids which side of the intersection to cross is not gonna fly but I can bet where was the paid employee of the borough who was working at the time of accident happened will be the first question asked. Be well

And you're right, it was clearly the fault of the girls' parents. The driver should sue them, as should the guard, for making him get out of his car and tend to them. God bless the ignorant.

I just saw your other comment. I frequent his post every morning and afternoon. He is ALWAYS in his car in the Bank lot. Since your such a great detective i suggest you monitor this corner and interview the kids that walk this way to and from school everyday. I stated Joy Dental bc the article ( and picture above) state he was caddy corner to where the girls had crossed. If u look at the above picture he's crossing back over towards the bank lot. According to your previous posts he's not authorized to be on that side (Joy Dental) as he just mans the side from BOA and 711 as has every guard for the last 50 years. It's obvious they crossed on the right side of the intersection bc the girls were hit from behind as they crossed and the car was turning left onto River from Berdan. AGAIN if the guard happened to be on his post and had stepped into the intersection to direct the traffic and assist these girls across the street this accident should never have happened. But with the guard NOT doing his job the car assumed it had the right of way. And the poor kids just crossed as they probably do everyday by themselves. For someone who is educated, indoctrinated and an administrator you would think that you would be able to read the facts which are in black and white and understand them. But u continue to twist words and personally attack which I guess is par for the course for some government employees

CC is not an administrator, she is a history teacher. My nephew is in her class and is convinced she knows more about UMD history than American history

Your friend brought up your job and credentials not me. I really could care less. Government employees by no means are my salve or anyone else's. they should just do the job they are paid to do, like any other person who has a job, but some make a bad name for the rest I am truly done with this nonsense and agree with Squirrelhead. I hope the driver and crossing guard sue these kids parents.

I don't know who you are, but I know what you are.

I would just like to say that it's unfortunate that it took two kids getting hit by a car to actually get this guy to do his job but He has been standing at his post and even on the opposite corner near Jot Dental actually crossing the kids. I would also like to add that as I was behind a vehicle which was turning onto River Road, in the same manner as the vehicle involved in this incident, the crossing guard actually stepped off the curb, lifted his sign and the vehicle STOPPED , to allow the children to cross safely. Hopefully he continues earning his pay.