Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
CLEARFIELD — With two giant orange cones, a reflective vest, and a bright red stop sign, Darren Bradsby unloads his white truck to survey his equipment for a new school year as a Clearfield crossing guard.
"The bigger the cones, the more they see them," he said.
Bradsby served as the crossing guard at 1000 E. State Street in Clearfield for two years. With his big white cowboy hat and outgoing personality, he's become well-known in the community.
"Some of the kids, the high school and grade school, call me the 'cowboy crossing guard,'" he says, laughing.
This year, Bradsby is moving to a new crossing a few blocks from State Street. However, as he reflects on his time working along state Route 126, one of the biggest and busiest roads in the city, he worries about the safety of the students he's gotten to know and love.
"I'm worried five days a week — every day is a risk," he said.
Bradsby said he's had several close calls at the crossing. Last year, he described a truck and trailer nearly crushing his legs after it failed to navigate a crash in the intersection. He said several kids have also nearly been hit.
"The first year I was out, I had two gentlemen, different times, help me stop kids getting hit," he said. "We both grabbed the kids and fell backwards. We've done that twice."
Close encounters like Bradsby's happen in crosswalks all over the state during the school year, and the Clearfield Police Department is increasingly looking for ways to improve crosswalk safety — for both the crossing guards and the students.
"Crossing guards are vital to our kids getting to and from school safely, they're vital to our organization," said Clearfield Assistant Police Chief Devin Rogers.
The common mistake
Rogers said a common mistake drivers make at a school crossing is not waiting for the crossing guard to completely clear the crosswalk; it's the law.
"When a crossing guard is out in the intersection, wait until the crossing guard clears the entire intersection until their stop paddle is down and they're outside the roadway before you proceed," Rogers said.
"A lot of people look at us like it's just a crossing guard. No, it's a lot more than that," Bradsby added.
With the new school year starting, Rogers is urging drivers to review the rules of the road, especially with new teen drivers.
"If they'll just slow down and leave a little bit earlier, watch for the students, watch for the crossing guards, and give yourselves a little bit more time," Rogers said.
For Bradsby, the role of crossing guard is one he takes seriously, and his biggest fear is a child being hit while walking to school.
"You get know them, care about them and you hope they get home to mom and dad," he said.
He's pleading with drivers to slow down, put away their cell phones, and pay attention so that not only the students but also he can get home safely.
"I want to go home because I take care of my parents, and I have kids, and I want to see them again," Bradsby said.
