UPDATE: Beloved School Crossing Guard Dies in Ankeny Accident

A beloved Ankeny school crossing guard, who moved to the city to be closer to his grandchildren, died on duty today doing  “exactly what he was trained to do.”

Franklyn “Frank” Luttrell, 78, was working his usual post at the corner of West First and School streets this morning when, police said, he was struck by a vehicle driven by Laurin Cole of Ankeny.

Luttrell was lying in the road with severe head injuries when Ankeny paramedics arrived. He passed away this afternoon at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. He had been escorting students walking to Terrace Elementary School and Parkview Middle School.

Police Chief Gary Mikulec said Luttrell’s absence is already being felt community-wide, not only by students, teachers and school staff members, but also within the police department.

“Frank has been a member of the police department family for three years,” the chief said. “He’s been at that same station the entire time. A lot of kids have grown up with Frank on that corner. He was a great ambassador.”

Luttrell, with his wife Deanna, moved to Ankeny from Dallas, Texas, three years ago to be closer to family. Mikulec said Luttrell, a former Marine, would often stop at the station to chat about his experience with other officers who served.

“The mood here was pretty somber today,” he said. “There’s been a lot of tears. He’s one of the family. Frank will be missed.”

The guard, said the chief, "was doing exactly what he was trained to do." 

Luttrell was enough of a fixture on his corner that Erin Ethington, the mother of a first-grader at Terrace, realized in the morning that something was wrong, even before she learned what exactly happened.

"At 9 a.m., I walked by and noticed his car still parked in its spot on the street," she said. "Something about that felt not-right to me. I thought about it the rest of the day."

Luttrell was one of about 20 guards stationed at 13 posts around the city. Mikulec said there were eight school-aged children who witnessed the accident.

Jarrett Peterson, a spokesperson for the Ankeny School district, said nurses and counselors were on hand at both schools today to counsel those who were witnesses as well as other students who may have been impacted by the death.

Mikulec said it’s unclear what caused the accident. Investigators are trying to recreate the scene to uncover the answer. Mikulec said there was no indication that alcohol was involved.

According to Iowa Courts Online, the driver, Laurin Cole, 63, has had six speeding violations since 1994, with the most recent issued in 2009. A 2007 citation clocked Cole speeding in a 25-mph zone on Northwest 62^nd Avenue in Johnston. That’s in close proximity to both Johnston High School and Johnston Middle School.

Mikulec said that, to the best of his knowledge, tomorrow will be business as usual for school crossing guards in Ankeny. He noted that the department will have extra staff on hand should the need arise for additional help.