Parents whose kids go to North East Middle School in the town of North East, Maryland, can rest a little easier knowing that their children are in good hands after a rescue that took place last week.
On Friday, a crossing guard was helping a student cross the street when a car ran straight for them, not appearing to slow down at all until it hit the crossing guard, who pushed the girl out of harm’s way.
North East Police Department Cpl. Annette Goodyear has been working as a crossing guard for 14 years, and yet never in all her years has she experienced something like this.
She was right in front of North East Middle School when the accident took place, and the whole thing was caught on video.
“It was strange,” Goodyear told WTTG-TV as she recalled the incident. “As I’m laying there and I’m, I’m thinking to myself this — this actually did happen. I didn’t even know what else to think about it at that point. It didn’t seem real as it was happening.”
Cecil County Executive Danielle Hornberger shared the video on Facebook on Friday, saying, “Gratitude and prayers to Corporal Annette Goodyear from the North East Police Department for her heroism in saving this NEMS student this morning.”
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Goodyear was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. She could have been injured much worse by the car, but thankfully she was not.
And after getting out of the hospital, her first thoughts were about the girl she’d protected and how she was doing. She heard the girl had gone home because she was so shaken up, so Goodyear dropped by the house to check on her.
“She came down the stairs, she saw me standing there and as she was walking toward the door she was, you know, getting teary-eyed, and you could see it and when she started getting teary-eyed, then her dad started getting teary-eyed, so, you know, we kind of all started at that point,” Goodyear said.
“I was just so thankful she was standing there and that she was OK.”
The Cecil County Sheriff’s Office told WTTG that the driver received four citations, including one for negligent driving and one for failure to stop at a yield sign before entering a crosswalk.
Goodyear’s fearless action has been recognized near and far as the video has circulated online.
“It was an amazing act of heroism,” Hornberger told WTTG.
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“Truly that is what we envision of to protect and serve. I mean, that’s what we want in our community, and it’s just, it’s, it’s humbling, it’s breathtaking, it’s amazing, and we’re just, we’re so proud to have Corporal Goodyear you know, in our — working in our community.”
“We’re just extremely proud of her actions,” Cpl. John Fakner with the North East Police Department told WJZ-TV. “It was a split-second reaction that saved a child from potential injury. A job well done.”
Goodyear said she’s just happy the girl is doing well, and that keeping people safe is her primary objective.
“For me, I’m — I’m a parent as well,” she said, “and it’s like I just want to make sure all these children are safe, and it didn’t matter if I got struck or not.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
