Parents Call For School Crossing Near Tulsa School After 12-Year-Old Struck By Car

On Wednesday, a 12-year-old girl was hit by an SUV while walking to school near Pine and Santa Fe.

She was walking to Academy Central Elementary School.

It's a dangerous walk, because there aren't any school zones or cross walks near the school.

In the morning and afternoon, kids are seen crossing Pine Street anywhere they can find, and with cars traveling at 40 miles per hour, parents are fearful their kids may get hurt.

"It's definitely crazy to sit out here and watch the kids and how they have to cross the street at the end of the day," said Jessica Henderson.

Henderson has two kids who go to Academy Central.

She said, two years ago, she tried to get a crosswalk, crossing guard or school zone put in on Pine Street.

"The kids are forced to run across the street and dodge the cars as they go, because there's no supervision, there's no school zone, no crossing guard, no walkway. There's nothing to help them get across the street," Henderson said.

Henderson saw our story about a 12-year-old girl getting hit by an SUV on her way to school.

1/9/2013 Related Story: Girl, Man Struck Crossing Two Tulsa Streets

Police say the girl stepped into the street and the SUV's driver couldn't stop. The girl was thrown onto the hood, but was not seriously injured.

"That could be my child," Henderson said. "Every afternoon, I'm scared to death, because they walk home. ‘Are they okay? Did they get home?' I have to make that call every day."

Henderson said she believes the real issue came when Roosevelt Elementary School closed in 2011.

"Those kids were migrated to Academy Central, but no crossing guards came with them, so that's what started the whole we-need-to-do-something idea," she said.

Henderson said she contacted city leaders about the possibility of adding crossing guards near Academy Central.

The city said, over the years, it had to downsize on the amount of crossing guards.

"People go through here much faster, and I think if we have a school zone, crossing zone, a marked area for the kids to pass, that would be safe," Henderson said.

The city said it's well aware that crossing this street is difficult and it plans to put a four-way stop sign at Pine and Union sometime next week, and eventually it hopes to have a crosswalk there.