No injuries were reported after a Los Altos resident “inadvertently accelerated” near the intersection of Covington Road and Miramonte Avenue Friday afternoon (Oct. 18) and hit a stop sign, according to Los Altos Police Sergeant Brian Jeffrey.
At approximately 3:15 p.m., a 76-year-old man hit the gas pedal instead of the brake and, to avoid a collision with other cars, veered off Covington and slammed into the post, according the police incident report. The driver continued one block and stopped at the intersection of Covington and Eastwood Drive, remaining on scene until police officers arrived, Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey verified that there was not a second vehicle involved in the accident, dispelling a post on the Nextdoor website. The person who made the post identified herself as a crossing guard on duty at the time. She posted that the man behind the wheel was “an extremely bad driver” and stated that he “ran into another car while waiting to get through the intersection and driving up onto the sidewalk and through the stop sign to continue through the intersection on Covington Drive.” A pedestrian on the opposite sidewalk was almost hit, she wrote.
She was interviewed by police and provided a statement, according to Jeffrey, who noted that the evidence indicated that driver hit only the street sign.
“It could still be classified as a hit-and-run, but based on the report, the investigating officer determined that it was not… due to the fact that the driver remained in the area and cooperated with the investigation,” Jeffrey said via email.
The driver was not arrested or cited but was issued a DMV priority re-examination. Since the incident is not classified as a criminal investigation, police will not name him publicly.
The stop sign pole was bent and the sign itself was damaged, Jeffrey said. In addition, street signs had been broken off, and the unit would likely have to be replaced. No other damage was observed. When the Town Crier went to go photograph the sign Tuesday (Oct. 22), the stop and street signs had already been repaired.
“Traffic and school safety is a high priority for the city of Los Altos and our community,” the sergeant said. “This incident serves as a great reminder to exercise extra attentiveness and care when driving through our community. Remember, to slow for school zones and exercise patience at intersections with school crossing guards as they ensure that all children are safe going to and from school.”
A bigger conversation
A crossing guard working where the incident had taken place just days before commented that it was “the most dangerous intersection” in Los Altos.
Steve Alpine is retired and has been a crossing guard for three years. Alpine said his boss at All City Management Services Inc., cannot find enough people willing to do the job.
Alpine said that parents previously served as crossing guards, but they tired of it, so teachers took over. The parents transporting their children to and from schools in their vehicles used to yell at the teachers, causing the situation to get more intense. Los Altos School District’s website advertises open positions through All City Management Services Inc. as early as 2017.
Alpine identified the crossing guard who was working Friday afternoon as Alison Stern and noted that she was almost hit.
“The kids have to depend on the courtesy of drivers,” Alpine said of the swarm of kids, mostly on bikes, coming from the east and heading west to go home from Blach Intermediate and Bullis Charter schools.
The intersection is a nightmare, he concluded.
