Deadly school bus crash sparks valley neighborhood’s push for pedestrian safety
Nearly a year after a young girl was hit by a car and killed after getting off her school bus, members of that community are pushing for pedestrian safety improvements.
Monique Guzman, 9, was hit and killed last December on Corkhill Drive in the unincorporated community of Desert Edge, near Desert Hot Springs.
"Nothing has changed. Cars still come up and down this street very fast," said Gloria Guzman, Monique's mother. "I just don't want nobody to go through the pain that my family went through now."
Police said a then-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.
Among those injured was Monique's brother, 6-year-old Julio Lopez. He broke both his legs and needed brain surgery, but his mom said he's recovering astonishingly fast.
The driver is out on bail and has not been charged by the District Attorney's office, a source of frustration for Guzman and her family.
"When Julio started to realize what had happened, he asked me 'Mom, the person that ran us over is in jail right?'" Guzman said. "I'm like, 'No.' He's like, 'Because that's not right to run little kids over...'"
"There's a lot of kids that come home. And it's nerve wracking. You never know if they will make it home," she said.
Guzman and others in the community have been trying to get the attention of county officials, calling for pedestrian safety improvements in an area they say has long been missing out on county funds.
Desert Edge resident Ellie Dullea took up the charge – at 92 years old, she worked to gather more than 250 signatures on a petition calling for change.
"I thought, 'This is too close to home, I have a granddaughter that age...Oh, I've got to do something,'" Dullea said. "Our child was killed. These kids have no sidewalks to walk on....Support is 100%."
Officials with the Riverside County Transportation Department last week announced they are seeking $300,000 in grant funding from Caltrans to add sidewalks, crosswalks and additional signage.
But it's a movement Guzman said shouldn't have taken the death of her daughter to do something about. "I still need her and it hurts that she's not here," she said.
The Desert Edge community council is expected to receive continuing updates on the application for the road safety grant.
The District Attorney's office is not answering questions on why the driver police say was responsible for the school bus crash has not been charged.
