Child breaks both legs after being hit in Berkeley crosswalk

BERKELEY, calif. (KGO) -- There are calls for change after a fourth grade girl was hit by a car Tuesday night in a school crosswalk in Berkeley. It happened as the girl and her mother were crossing Claremont Avenue at Claremont Crescent.

The crosswalk outside John Muir Elementary School is a crossing guard's headache.

"They come off the highway and they don't pay no attention to us," said crossing guard Janet Bounds.

Bounds is the crossing guard at the intersection of Claremont Avenue and Claremont Circle. It's where a car hit a fourth-grader while she and her mom were crossing the street. The youngster is hospitalized with two broken legs. And now, parents are outraged.

"I'm sorry to say I'm not surprised," said former teacher Ann Einstein. "When Janet steps out into the crosswalk they still come very close to her."

Parent Danielle Perez adds, "The drivers who drive, this is their commute every day, they're going 30 plus miles an hour to the freeway and they ignore these lights."

Parents say the intersection is too dark at night and not only do cars speed through there, some will swerve around the crossing guard and keep going when she's in the intersection. That's against the law. There are no traffic signals there and that amazes parent Eric Thomas.

"I would definitely say some kind of traffic signal, better enforcement, I would say definitely at least start with a light," he said.

ABC7 News has reached out to both the Berkeley Police Department and the mayor's office. So far we haven't heard back.