LAWRENCE: Truck driver who hit crossing guard charged

The driver of a tractor-trailer truck that struck a school crossing guard on Lawrence Road at Eggerts Crossing Road Nov. 1 has been charged with failure to observe a traffic control device and reckless

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   The driver of a tractor-trailer truck that struck a school crossing guard on Lawrence Road at Eggerts Crossing Road Nov. 1 has been charged with failure to observe a traffic control device and reckless driving after he allegedly failed to stop for the red traffic signal, according to the Lawrence Township Police Department.
   Christopher Bloom, 30, of Morrisville, Pa., was driving a 1998 Kenilworth tractor-trailer truck when it struck the crossing guard, 78-year-old Frank Novatkoski, at 7:04 a.m. Nov. 1, police said. The truck was traveling north on Lawrence Road.
   Mr. Novatkoski remains hospitalized in stable condition at Capital Health Regional Medical Center. The Pear Street resident, who has worked as a crossing guard for six years, suffered head and upper body injuries.
   Mr. Novatkoski was crossing Lawrence Road when Mr. Bloom swerved to the left to avoid striking him, police said. He missed the crossing guard with the tractor portion of the truck, but struck him with the trailer portion as it passed him. Mr. Novatkoski was knocked to the ground.
   The Police Department received numerous calls about the accident, and when police arrived, they found Mr. Novatkoski unresponsive. He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
   Lawrence Road was closed for about an hour while police investigated the accident. The intersection of Lawrence Road and Eggerts Crossing Road is controlled by a traffic signal.
   Mr. Novatkoski is not the first crossing guard to have been injured at the intersection of Lawrence Road and Eggerts Crossing Road. In December 2010, 83-year-old Anthony Sebasto was struck by a car as he was setting up his crossing guard post. He suffered injuries, but survived.
   The Nov. 1 accident is still under investigation by the Lawrence Township Police Department and the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office. The Police Department is asking anyone who witnessed the accident or who has other information that would be helpful to investigators to call the Police Department at 609-896-1111.