School Crossing Guard Hit by Car

A Pinellas County School crossing guard suffered minor injuries this morning, when a driver failed to yield to the victim in the crosswalk.

Nelson Guenther had minor injuries to his left forearm, when he was hit by the vehicle's side view mirror.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, 18-year-old Richard Barbieri of Largo was driving a 2011 Chevy Malibu at 102nd Avenue and 131st Street.

Witnesses at the scene and deputies from the Major Accident Investigation Team said that Guenther was crossing 102nd Avenue at 131st Street, with the crossing signal, at about 7:30 a.m.  

As Guenther crossed, the Chevy turned west on 102nd Avenue from northbound 131st Street. The driver failed to yield at the pedestrian crossing.

The car struck Guenther in the left forearm with the driver's side mirror.

Guenther sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital.

Barbieri was issued a traffic citation for Failure to Yield to a Pedestrian in
a Crosswalk.

Deputies say now that school is back in session, motorists should be very careful around school crossings as traffic has increased, and more pedestrians, mostly children are out earlier in the day.