Crossing guard, 61, dies after being hit by vehicle outside a Fort Mill school
FORT MILL SC March 23rd, 2024
A crossing guard died after being struck by a vehicle outside an elementary school in Fort Mill Thursday afternoon, police said Friday.
Stanley Brucker, 61, of Fort Mill, was identified Friday as the victim, according to the York County Coroner’s Office.
Crossing guards at Fort Mill schools work for a private Charlotte company called Cross Safe. The company has a contract with the school district and its workers are not district employees, according to school district spokesman Joe Burke.
The collision happened after 3 p.m. near the entrance to Fort Mill Elementary School on Springfield Parkway, Capt. Steven Bivins of the Fort Mill Police Department said.
The crossing guard died at an area hospital after being taken from the scene for treatment, Bivins said.
The vehicle involved stayed on scene where officers met with the driver, Bivins said. The incident remains under investigation by Fort Mill police, Bivins said.
The area of the crash is north of S.C. 160, near the entrances to Fort Mill Elementary School and Fort Mill Middle School. Part of Springfield Parkway was temporarily closed after the incident
In a statement to The Herald Friday, the Fort Mill school district called the death of the Brucker “ “heartbreaking.”
“The entire district community is deeply saddened by this tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” the statement said.
No students were on campuses Friday because it was a regularly scheduled teacher workday where only staff were at school, Burke said.
Crisis counselors were available for staff Friday and will be available for students as they return Monday, Burke said.
Principals at both Fort Mill Elementary and Fort Mill Middle sent statements about the incident to families.
The Fort Mill school district between Charlotte and Rock Hill in northern York County has 20 schools that serve more than 18,000 students. It is one of the fastest-growing districts in South Carolina.
Seventeen Fort Mill campuses, including 10 elementary schools, use Cross Safe crossing guards, Burke said.
It was unclear Friday how long Cross Safe has contracted with the school district, or how long Brucker had been a crossing guard at the school and with the company.
Cross Safe parent company Park Inc. was founded in 1994 with a handful of employees and one customer and expanded over the years to the point that it now has over 75 operations and more than 400 workers, Cross Safe said on its website.
The company said it initially was focused on valet parking and has since branched out to other services, including crossing guards, traffic control, large-scale garage management, surface lot operations, shuttle bus services, and consulting.
At the top of its website, Cross Safe says, “Outsourcing your crossing guards and other traffic control personnel keeps community safety at the forefront without diverting police or school service personnel.”
Park Inc. president Brian Haupricht sent an emailed statement to The Herald Saturday. The statement said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our Ft. (Fort) Mill crossing guards. We are grieving his loss with his family and friends. Our thoughts, prayers, and love are with them.”
