HARTFORD, WIs. — A scary morning for students at Hartford Union High School. Two students were hit by a driver while on their way to school, and now police are investigating.
"As a parent, I don't want to have to worry, 'Did my kid make it to school safe?'" Kim C. Lewin said.
Lewin has a student at Hartford Union, so hearing the news Thursday morning was shocking for her.
"Our campus is located in a very residential part of our city, the four-way intersection definitely does provide some challenges," Hartford Union Superintendent, Jeff Walters, said.
A challenge that turned dangerous just after 7 a.m. when police said two girls were crossing the street, walking to the high school, when another student, who was driving, hit both of them.
"My heart just sunk and thought of not only my kid, but all of the kids involved in the situation," Lewin explained.
Parents and neighbors who talked to TMJ4 said the intersection at Cedar and West Monroe has been a problem for years and can be dangerous at times.
"There either needs to be a stop light with clear walk signs or there needs to be a crossing guard," Lewin added.
Others who took to social media agree. One person said, "Perhaps it's time to address that intersection with real meaning." Another said, "This was only a matter of time."
TMJ4 learned Thursday that a traffic study was done on Cedar and West Monroe within the last few years. The only changes that were made then was removing parking spots on the street and traffic flow for buses and parent drop off.
Superintendent Walters said now more changes will be made and considered.
"I think anything needs to be on the table when you have an accident like this. First of all, we're here to support our kids and our families who were impacted by this, but again, things we're talking about might include things like stop lights, might include better lighting, might include patrolling the intersection," Walters said.
We know the two girls hit were taken to Aurora Medical Center this morning. We're still waiting for an update on their condition.
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