LAWTON, Okla. – A frightening scene unfolded in front of Macarthur High School a little after 2:30 p.m., when the school's crossing guard, Norma Armstrong, was hit by a pickup while helping students cross the intersection at Gore Blvd. and SE 45th St.
Witnesses say they believe the driver failed to see her sign and the students crossing because another car somehow blocked his view. Among the witnesses was the crossing guard's daughter.
Norma Bevill says her mother is being treated for a broken ankle. Bevill says she had dropped her mother off to start her crossing guard duties, and then left to get her some food. As she was coming back, she saw the truck hit her mother.
Bright orange cones and lights filled the intersection of Gore and SE 45th. Emergency crews surround the crossing guard lying on the ground. The woman's daughter said her mother had her sign lifted and was walking a student across the street, when the unthinkable happened.
"This guy from across the street come out and was making a turn. I don't know if he was trying to change lanes or what he was trying to do, but he hit my mom and I just saw her go up on the hood of the pickup truck," said Bevill.
Witnesses say the pickup truck driver was turning west on Gore and somehow failed to see them in the crosswalk. Bevill says she rushed to her mother's side.
"I immediately jumped out of my car, because that's my mom, and I ran down to my mom, making sure she was okay," said Bevill.
Bevill says, when she got to her closer to her mother, she could see something was wrong.
"I could see her ankle was broken. She told me she was just feeling weak and she started shivering. It scares me because that's my mom."
Bevill says she had concerns about her mother working the intersection today.
"The street here was iced over and I was telling her just to be careful because anything can happen. You can fall and break a hip. I've seen the kids around here, the way they drive. It's like they don't care."
Bevill says she is just glad it was not worse.
"I just wish they had more patrol out here. I seen six times this morning that there was cops out here. In the afternoon, that's when it gets hectic."
Bevill says her mother has been a crossing guard for public schools over 20 years. This was her first major incident.
As of news time there was still no word on Armstrong's condition or the penalties, if any, the truck driver could be facing.
