Public Employee Press

Crossing guard saves kid's life

School Crossing Guard Shameeka White saved the life of an elementary school student at the cost of her own safety April 9 when she pushed the child out of the way of an oncoming car, which struck her and knocked her down.

Early that Wednesday morning, a car veered around a stalled city bus and was heading straight toward the child. The Local 372 member pushed the child out of the way, leaving her own body in the path of the speeding vehicle.

When she got up off the ground, White's entire left side from her shoulder to her foot was numb. She was taken to the emergency room at Kings County Hospital, where she was treated for a fractured left hand and sprains to her knee and ankle. White is responsible for the safety of schoolchildren at the busy intersection of Atlantic and Ralph Avenues in Brooklyn.

"At the moment of impact, her only concern was the life of that child. The courage she displayed makes her a hero in my book, a true Wonder Woman," said Local 372 President Santos Crespo Jr. after visiting White at the hospital. "Our School Crossing Guards risk life and limb every day to protect New York City's school children," he said.