A crossing guard has died after a vehicle struck him and a child outside Stanley Middle School in Lafayette Wednesday afternoon, officials said.
The crash happened at 3 p.m. on School Street at Paradise Court, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office said.
According to the sheriff's office, a man was reported to be trapped under a vehicle. Lafayette police officers, who were assisted by bystanders, were able to pull the victim out. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The driver remained at the scene and was cooperating with officers, authorities said.
Sheriff officials said the child hit by the SUV suffered minor injures and was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
Neighbors identified the victim as 45-year-old Ashley Dias. They told NBC Bay Area that Dias was on his second day as a crossing guard. Neighbors said that he was volunteering his time, and his child is a student at Stanley Middle School.
Local
Witnesses who saw the crash told NBC Bay Area Dias was heroic because he actually pushed some kids out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.
Dias's child was not the one hurt.
The tragic crash sent shockwaves through the neighborhood. According to neighbors, Dias was well known in the neighborhood, and his parents live nearby.
Residents in the area have complained about people driving too fast near the school. One neighbor told NBC Bay Area's Cheryl Hurd that she would like to see speed bumps on the streets near the school.
Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact Sgt. C. Jacquez of the Lafayette Police Department at 925-299-3234 or email at cjacq@so.cccounty.
