Parents raise safety concerns after third Fort Mill crossing guard hit in six years

FORT MILL, S.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Fresh flowers sit in a traffic cone where a Fort Mill crossing guard lost his life on Thursday. The tragic death has Fort Mill neighbors looking for change.

“What are we going to do differently? What is the town prepared to do differently?” said concerned neighbor and parent Josh.

61-year-old Stanly Brucker was the third crossing guard in six years to be hit by a car. Police say it happened around 3:30 p.m. during dismissal , just outside the bus entrance at Fort Mill Middle School, shortly after Fort Mill Elementary School got out.

Josh didn’t want to be on camera but says he’s frustrated.

“I was compelled to speak out because the community needs to slow down,” he remarked. “We need to recognize that in these school zones, there are kids present. But the other thing that jumped out to me and what I would want the Brucker family to know if this were my family member, is this has happened here before in Fort Mill, and in fact, it’s happened at the same location.”

In 2018, a Charlotte teen was arrested after striking a 58-year-old crossing guard around Fort Mill Middle School . The most recent incident was in 2021 when a 67-year-old woman was hit near another elementary school.

“Three times in six years, to me that’s significant at this point. And I can’t think of a better use of city funds and resources than them to patrol these school zones in the morning,” the parent said.

Fort Mill police say they’ve talked to the driver but haven’t charged them yet.

On Friday, Mayor Guynn Savage said the community is grieving and a crossing guard is a personal type of job.

“You get to wave at them every day. You don’t necessarily stop and talk, but you do get that sense of their dedication to the lives of our children, teachers and parents,” she told Queen City News over the phone.

The school district is making crisis team counselors available for the foreseeable future to provide support for any student or staff member who may need assistance in coping with this loss.

The MelSafetyInstitute reports over the last decade, the accident rate for crossing guards has increased by about 65% . Thirty years ago, half of the children walked to school; today, only about 15% walk.

“Fort Mill is a rapidly growing community. People are in a hurry to get to where they’re getting, and we need to have enforcement out here running radar, running laser, whatever that might be, to slow people down,” the parent said.

We reached out to the district with the concerned parent’s questions on Saturday, we are waiting for a response.

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