ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan today awarded a governor’s citation to Cpl. Annette Goodyear of Cecil County’s North East Police Department who saved a student from being hit by a car late last week (video at end of story).
Cpl. Goodyear, who has served as a crossing guard for 14 years, was assisting students across the street outside of North East Middle School in Cecil County. In the middle of guiding a student through the crosswalk, she noticed an oncoming car speeding down the street. As she saw the car quickly approaching the crosswalk, Cpl. Goodyear quickly jumped into action and sacrificed herself by pushing the student to safety and took the full impact from the oncoming car.
A video of the incident captured Cpl. Goodyear in her bright orange crossing guard uniform being struck by the driver moments after she pushed the student to safety. The student was unharmed and Cpl. Goodyear was transported to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Original Story:
CECIL COUNTY, MD – On Friday morning, North East Police Department Officer Corporal Annette Goodyear was working traffic safety for students of the Cecil County Public Schools helping students cross the road to get to school. As a child was crossing the road, a woman, ignoring the crosswalk, bright orange poncho worn by Officer Goodyear and the student sped through the crosswalk, ignoring her gestures to the vehicle to stop.Seeing this, Goodyear grabbed the student and quickly moved the student out of harm’s way. She was struck by the vehicle, but the student was not injured. Her selfless sacrifice might have saved the child’s life. “It was strange. As I’m lying there I’m thinking to myself this actually did happen. I didn’t even know what to think about at that point,” Goodyear said. “It didn’t seem real as it was happening.”Goodyear was taken to the hospital where she was treated for her injuries. “We want to take a moment to recognize Officer Annette Goodyear of the North East Police Department for her heroic actions today. We are thankful that Officer Goodyear was treated and released from the hospital after she pushed a student out of the way of an oncoming car,” the Cecil County Public School District said in a statement. “We are forever grateful for the selfless response of this hero.”
Goodyear said she was just trying to do her job and make sure every child got to school safely. After leaving the hospital, she visited the student to make sure she was also alright.“She came down the stairs saw me standing there and as she was walking toward the door she was getting teary-eyed, and you could see it and when she got teary-eyed, then her dad started getting teary-eyed, and we all started at that point,” Goodyear said. “I was just so thankful she was standing there and that she was OK.”The entire ordeal was captured on a school bus dashcam. Scroll down below to watch it.