Dangerous Lehigh Acres crosswalks a concern for Lee County parents

Parents and crossing guards are worried about drivers racing past bus stops and leaving student lives at risk.

Some parents even say they don’t let their kids walk for that exact reason.

Donna Trimmer, a crosswalk guard in Lehigh Acres says she sees multiple vehicles plow through the crosswalk where she helps kids every day.

“The flashing lights doesn’t mean a thing to people they just fly by — they don’t do the 20 miles per hour,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if I’m here or not, they just fly by.”

She said Lee County Sheriff’s deputies did show up, but told her they couldn’t stay long to help due to staffing issues.

“My worst nightmare is somebody getting hurt — really bad. They’re going to get killed or get hurt really bad, I hate to see it be my children because they’re scared,” she said.

One neighbor said some drivers don’t really seem to care about the crosswalk or the school buses.

“It’s constant all the time, it’s the same issue with people passing by, no respect really,” said Sara Cordero of Lehigh Acres.

Just last year alone, in one single day, Lee County bus drivers cited 637 illegal passes.

Cordero drops her kids off to avoid the risk.

“That’s one of the reasons I wouldn’t let them cross,” she said.

Trimmer has some advice for drivers.

“Just slow down for these children they’re just trying to do their job trying to get to school safe,” she said.

The school district says if you have issues at your crosswalk or bus stop, contact the sheriff’s office.

They also told WINK News that bus drivers are supposed to call into a dispatch if there are safety issues around their stops or crosswalks.

Those reports get collected and passed on to LCSO for enforcement.