Aunt of Monique Guzman, 9-year-old killed in crash, shares concerns about safety of kids walking home from school
Paola Guzman is the aunt of Monique "Ceci" Guzman, the 9-year-old who was killed Thursday when she was hit by car after it had already crashed into a school bus.
Three other kids were hit by the car leaving them injured including Monique's 5-year-old brother, Julio, who is currently hospitalized for his injuries and is expected to recover.
Monique's family said it is asking for more pedestrian safety in the area where the incident happened, which is near the intersection of Corkill and Aurora Road. There is no sidewalk and no barrier, only a dirt path next to the road.
"Maybe something so the kids is more safe... so it doesn't happen again," said Paola. "The bus drops them off pretty far from our trailer park- or the bus drivers could make two stops."
She said she hopes to minimize the distance kids need to walk from the bus stop to their homes. She also suggests improving the dirt path on Corkill Road to make it more pedestrian-friendly.
"I just broke down and started crying because she was like one of my own," said Paola. "I was telling her principal we're still waiting for her to walk in."
She said Monique played flag football and had dreams of trying tackle football.
"She was something else. She would always say she was built different and my sister goes she was built different," said Paola. "She is very adventurous. She would go for it. She would go for it. She didn't care... She was an angel on earth and it's just hard that they took her- that she's gone."
Paola created a GoFundMe for her sister and mother of Monique, Gloria Guzman, to help with funeral and hospital expenses.
"Gloria has a daughter who passed away and a son fighting for his life. We are asking for the community for help. The financial burden should not be one of the thing in her mind," said Paola on the GoFundMe's page. "This will help her take the necessary time off work to be with her son and her children at the moment and cover funeral and medical expenses."
The driver authorities say is responsible is out of jail on bail. He's set to be in court in February.
"We just hope as a community we start listening and watching out for our kids because they're our future at the end of the day," said Paola.
