Municipal Crossing Guard Fatally Injured When Struck by a Car – Massachusetts

SUMMARY

On August 30, 2018, a 67-year-old, female, municipal crossing guard was fatally injured when struck by a passing motor vehicle. At the time of the incident, the crossing guard was assisting students in crossing the roadway. The crossing guard, with her STOP paddle held up, stepped off the curb and into the cross walk. She reached about the middle of the travel lane when she was struck by a motor vehicle, landing on the roadway. Witnesses of the incident placed a call for emergency medical services (EMS) and assisted the victim. EMS arrived quickly and the victim was transported to the hospital.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Key contributing factors identified in this investigation include:

• No crosswalk signage;
• Ineffective crosswalk roadway markings that were in poor condition; and
• Assigning crossing guards to unsignalized intersections without the appropriate traffic control measures.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The Massachusetts FACE Program concluded that, to help prevent similar occurrences, municipalities should:

• Ensure that, at a minimum, crosswalk traffic control signage meets the standards set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD).
• Consider additional measures to ensure crosswalks at unsignalized intersections and mid-block locations are clearly visible to motorists.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive safety and health program that addresses hazard recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions.
• Actively work towards reducing vehicle speed on local roadways.

Municipal Crossing Guard Fatally Injured When Struck by a Car — Massachusettspdf icon [PDF 1,022 KB]