Shocking video captured the moment a heroic crossing guard officer in Maryland saved a student from being hit by a car and was subsequently hit herself.
Cpl. Annette Goodyear of the North East Police Department (NEPD) made the stunning rescue Friday at about 7:30 a.m., Cpl. John Fakner of the NEPD said, according to WJZ-TV.
Warning: Distressing Video Below. Viewer Discretion is Advised
The video, shared by Cecil County Executive Danielle Hornberger in a Facebook post, shows a student approaching the crosswalk, which prompts Goodyear to signal an oncoming driver to stop. As the student passes through the crosswalk, the motorist fails to stop, and selflessly, Goodyear moves the child out of the way and is subsequently struck herself, WJZ-TV reports. The student, motorist, and other bystanders quickly ran to check on Goodyear.
Goodyear recalled the incident to Perris Jones of WTTG.
“It was strange. As I’m lying there I’m thinking to myself this actually did happen. I didn’t even know what to think about at that point,” she said. “It didn’t seem real as it was happening.”
“For me, I’m a parent as well, and it’s like I just want to make sure all these children are safe, and it didn’t matter if I was struck or not,” added Goodyear.
She suffered minor, non-life-threatening injuries. She was taken to the hospital and was discharged later in the day, WJZ reports.
Following her release, she went to the school to check on the student, but she learned the child was shaken up and went home for the day to be with family, so Goodyear stopped by her home, WTTG reports.
She told the outlet:
She came down the stairs saw me standing there and as she was walking toward the door she was getting teary-eyed, and you could see it and when she got teary-eyed, then her dad started getting teary-eyed, and we all started at that point. I was just so thankful she was standing there and that she was ok.
The outlet also spoke with Hornberger, who called Goodyear’s rescue “breathtaking:”
“It was an amazing act of heroism,” Hornberger said. “Truly that is what we envision of to protect and serve. That’s what we want in our community, and it’s just humbling; it’s breathtaking; it’s amazing, and we’re just so proud to have Corporal Goodyear in our community.”
“The town of North East is already working on commendations for her bravery and swift action!” the county executive said in her Facebook post.
Cecil County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Lt. Michael Holmes “said the driver was cited for negligent driving, failure to stop at yield sign before entering crosswalk, failure to stop for pedestrian in crosswalk, and driving with an expired registration plate,” WTTG reports.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.