After child is hit by car, city searches for volunteer crossing guards near schools

PETOSKEY — A child in a stroller was struck by a vehicle on Jan. 17 while crossing with their parent at the intersection of Howard and Sheridan streets. The accident brought to the forefront an already existing issue — the need for increased safety at school crosswalks throughout the city.

A report from the city found that the driver stopped at the stop sign on Sheridan before turning on to Howard and striking the child in their stroller while in the crosswalk on Howard, knocking over the child and the stroller. There were no injuries to the child and no medical transport was necessary, according to city officials. The driver was cited for the accident.

Despite this being a singular incident, it highlighted the community's need for crossing guards and increased safety precautions at the school crossings. The Public Schools of Petoskey have six school buildings in the city and only one crossing guard by Ottawa Elementary School.

Following the accident, city and school officials are working together to find volunteer crossing guards and work on a study to better understand the safety needs at school crosswalks.

Superintendent Jeff Leslie said the district is working with the Petoskey Department of Public Safety to get a list of people who are interested in being crossing guards. As of Jan. 27, Leslie said he believed one person had signed up to volunteer.

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"Safety for our community is always our top concern and we have been in contact with the public school district in regards to this incident," wrote Lieutenant Adrian Karr in a Facebook post. "The Petoskey Department of Public Safety is currently looking for volunteers to assist in crossing guard duties. Anyone interested is encouraged to contact our department at (231) 347-2500 for more information and training."

Leslie said the city is also working on study for the number of children who walk to school.

"They are working on getting their head wrapped around the issue," he said. "It is more than just that one intersection that is a concern. They want to come up with a holistic solution throughout the city."

When asked if parents had concerns about the intersection of Howard and Sheridan prior to the recent accident, Leslie said, "I don't know if there were concerns prior to that, however, after the accident there was."

Leslie added that it was raining the morning that the child in the stroller was hit.

"It was dark and nasty — there is a street light at that intersection, but it was a series of events that led that vehicle to hit that stroller," he said.

When asked about a timeline, Leslie said, "The sooner the better. I've already got the information from two of the six schools. We don't want this to sit on the back burner."

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: City of Petoskey seeks crossing guards to volunteer near schools