Jess Hardiman
Resurfaced footage shows the moment a ‘hero’ crossing guard threw a child to the side to avoid getting hit by a car that failed to stop – only to get run down herself.
In February last year, Corporal Annette Goodyear was outside a Chesapeake Bay middle school in Cecil County, Maryland, helping children cross the road.
Wearing a hi-vis orange jacket, she was standing at the centre of the crossing to stop traffic, in order to ensure that students were able to pass safely.
A video showed Goodyear, of the North East Police Department, holding out her hand to motion to an oncoming vehicle, signalling to the driver to pause so that a child could cross.
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However, as the youngster began to walk across the road, the car continued to move forward – prompting Goodyear’s reflexes to kick in.
She pushed the student out of the car’s path to her left, only to be struck by the vehicle herself.
At the time, the footage was shared by Cecil County Executive Danielle Horberger, who wrote: “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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“I just spoke with Mayor Kline. The town of North East is already working on commendations for her bravery and swift action!”
It wasn’t long before the video went viral, with many others praising Goodyear’s efforts.
The clip even resurfaced again yesterday, with one Reddit user writing: "Brave crossing guard throws child out of the way and takes a nasty hit after car fails to stop."
The post has racked up more than 81,000 upvotes and thousands of comments in less than 24 hours.
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Speaking to The Washington Post last year about what happened, Goodyear recalled: “Out of the corner of my eye, I just see this blur.”
She added: “Everything just happened so quickly. It just didn’t seem real.”
Mum-of-three Goodyear, who has been an officer with the North East Police Department for 14 years, was working her regular crossing guard shift in the small town.
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She continued: “It took me a few seconds to realize that this did just happen.
“I just remember laying on the ground and looking up, and the first thing I thought was ‘Where is the student?’”
Goodyear said the driver got out of the car and told her that they ‘just didn’t see’ her.
“I’m thinking, ‘How could you not see that?’” she said, adding: “I have never had a car come this close to the crosswalk."
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According to the Cecil County Sheriff’s Office, the driver was cited for a number of traffic violations, including negligent driving.