A local crossing guard was hit by an SUV while standing in a crosswalk outside Madera Elementary School in a Simi Valley pedestrian accident. Just moments before the crossing guard was hit, a female pedestrian had been crossing the street. The 57-year-old crossing guard, Bob Belanger, pushed the woman out of the way to safety, taking the hit from the vehicle himself.
FOX40 reported that Mr. Belanger has been working as a crossing guard for the past three years. The accident happened around 7:30 a.m., so there were many parents dropping their kids off at school. Police responded to the incident and closed the roads around the school. Because the driver of the SUV stopped at the scene, police are not treating this incident as a hit-and-run accident.
It does not appear the driver, who was also in his 50s, was intoxicated at the time of the collision, but police are still investigating the cause. Mr. Belanger was rushed to the hospital with possible life-threatening injuries. The woman pushed out of the way was not injured thanks to Mr. Belanger’s heroic act. We wish Mr. Belanger a speedy recovery.