Portage Crossing Guard Hit By Car At Moorsbridge Elementary

Update on the crossing guard's condition:

The school sent out this update on Wednesday afternoon: "We received some great news that Mr. Klemchuk was released from the hospital today and is home resting."

A crossing guard at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage was seriously injured. after being hit by a car.

A note from school's principal, Zac Crouch was sent out to parents saying that Mr. Klemchuk was hit by a car while performing his crossing guard duties and that he was stable and getting the care he needed:

It happened this morning during drop-off around 8:15am and a few students and staff members witnessed the incident. We have reached out to those students and families who we are aware of that were present at the accident. Crisis team members are in the building to support these students and staff members and any others that may be affected. It is important to share this information with you so that you are able to help your student process any questions they may have.

Michigan Laws for pedestrians and crosswalks

According to the Sam Bernstein Law Firm,

“When traffic-control signals are not in place or are not in operation, the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is on the half of the roadway on which the vehicle is traveling…”

The Michigan Department of Transportation says "the presence of capable school crossing supervision, although not mandatory, is strongly urged for each non-signalized school crossing requiring special protection. An adult crossing guard, however, can react to varied and new conditions, overcoming these limitations. It cannot be over stressed that a capable adult crossing guard provides the greatest level of assistance to children at a school crossing.

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In a related development, several weeks ago a new law went into effect in Michigan, empowering schools to attach cameras to school buses, and making any video recorded by those cameras available for police to go after violators of traffic laws related to illegally passing school buses.