Desert Edge leaders seeking $300K safety grant after deadly school bus crash
Leaders in one valley community are hoping to make improvements to a road where a 9-year-old girl was hit by a car and killed after getting off her school bus last December.
At a meeting Tuesday, the Desert Edge community council heard an update on funding county officials applied for to improve sidewalk safety in an area where kids get dropped off by their school bus each day.
Dennis Acuna with the Riverside County Transportation Department said $300,000 was requested from Caltrans in a grant application for the "Desert Edge Mobility Plan." He said officials are fighting to build sidewalks and make pedestrian infrastructure in that community safer. Community leaders also discussed adding school bus stop signage and potentially a safety corridor.
Last December, 9-year-old Monique Guzman was hit and killed. Three other kids were injured.
Police said an 87-year-old Desert Hot Springs man behind the wheel of a white Cadillac hit the back of a school bus before pulling around on the shoulder where he struck the students. The suspect has not been charged with any crimes. Per KESQ policy, he will not be named pending formal charges.
"All the children unload in an area that is pretty much adjacent to cars going 40 to 50 miles an hour," said resident Keith Meyers. "This seems to be an area that's being forgotten."
Desert Edge community council member Cindy Nance said the area has been long neglected when it comes to county resources being allocated, especially for road improvements.
At the scene of the accident 9 months later, no improvements have been made. There are still no sidewalks or crosswalks there.
Tuesday, students were seen returning from school on the bus, just half a block from where the crash happened. The speed limit posted there is 40 miles per hour. A crossing guard briefly stopped traffic but cars continued just feet from students walking home.
"Children continue to walk within feet of cars that are going 50 miles an hour, and I think it needs to be taken care of so that we can have a safe neighborhood here," Meyers said.
