Crossing Guard, 80, In Coma After Being Hit By Car
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An 80-year-old crossing guard was critically hurt Monday afternoon when she was struck by a car in Evanston on the city's North Side.
Janet Gould was directing kids from Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies at the intersection of Bryn Mawr and Clark Street when she was hit.
"If anybody can pull through something like this, she can," said Roberto Miguel Cerda, Gould's son.
Miguel Cerda said his mother has been a crossing guard for over 30 years.
"She was just a genuinely nice person, you knew she enjoyed her job," echoed Lamont Cheatem, who has a child at Parent.
Jennifer Ramirez, who has a niece and a nephew at Pierce, said Gould is really dedicated. "It takes guts to work this job, with the risk of not getting hit by anything."
Gould was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston in critical condition, where she remains in a coma. Doctors have instructed her family to prepare for the worst, but Gould has recently been opening her eyes.
She has eight children, 19 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.
Police issued the driver a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk.
