MEDINA, Ohio — The parents of the boy shown on video getting hit by a car on his way to school in Medina earlier this week are pushing for changes at the busy intersection where the crash happened.
Their 9-year-old sons, Landon and Xander, have been taking the 13-minute, 0.6-mile walk to school on their own for the last couple of months.
“Gradually we’d let them walk the last block and then two blocks, three blocks, four blocks, until they were walking themselves,” father John McKay said.
But on Tuesday, Landon and his stepbrother Xander never made it to Garfield Elementary.
“It didn’t need to happen. It really didn’t,” mother Shannon Estremera said.
She was at work at the time, tracking her boys’ walk on her phone during a break when she noticed them stop at Public Square for an unusual amount of time.
“I heard the sirens and I just kept saying, is he alive, is he alive, is he alive?” Shannon remembers.
Surveillance footage showed a woman who police said was an unlicensed driver slam into Landon when he had the right of way on the crosswalk.
“She shouldn’t have even been on the road to begin with,” McKay said.
The video — which shows Landon being tossed into the air and thrown onto the ground — is tough to watch for anyone, but especially his parents. Still, they want other drivers to see it.
“The first time I saw it I almost lost it. It’s very, very emotional seeing your kid go flying through the air,” McKay said.
“Pay attention," Estremera said. "I feel like it really could have been avoided if she was paying attention.”
An ambulance transported Landon to the hospital after the crash. He was soon cleared to go home but after watching the video and how violent it was, his parents took him back to the hospital just to be safe. Amazingly, Landon was left with only minor cuts and bruises.
The parents say both of their boys are now afraid to walk back to school by themselves.
"They worked so hard for that, and they were so proud when they got the freedom to walk to school by themselves, and for it to just be taken away from somebody else’s mistake is unfair to them," McKay said.
Days after the incident, the parents started a petition to get a crossing guard at the intersection to help their sons and other students get to and from school safely.
“We know it’s not a school zone where he was hit but it’s so close. And there’s so many kids that have to go through there that it should be their number one concern that they have people there to help them get to school and home safely,” Estremera said.
3News reached out to Medina Schools and received the following statement from Superintendent Aaron Sable:
“Crossing guards are stationed at the corners closer to Garfield Elementary School. It's worth mentioning that filling these positions has been a challenge due to the part-time nature of their work, coupled with the current employee shortages. But we've made our best effort to fill the positions, especially those close to our facility.
"In the coming year, our redistricting plan will ensure that Garfield students receive school transportation on our buses, which means they won't have to cross the intersections on the square. The safety of our students is a top priority, and we'll be reviewing our procedures and personnel for the remainder of the school year.”