Andy DePonti speaks to the motorist who struck him seconds after the accident. (Click to enlarge)
A Red Bank crossing guard suffered minor injuries when he was struck by a vehicle that backed up into him in a crosswalk Thursday afternoon.
Andy DePonti, a freshly retired borough employee who joined the crossing guard ranks this month, was knocked to the ground but sustained only scrapes and bruises on his hands and right arm, he told redbankgreen before police and other emergency personnel arrived on the scene.
The accident occurred at about 4:25p at the intersection of Broad Street and Harding Road/Reckless Place. Witnesses said a vehicle that had entered the intersection unexpectedly backed up as DePonti, in the crosswalk, prepared to help a group of pedestrians cross Broad.
DePonti is the second borough crossing guard to be hit by a vehicle in a year. Guard John Mego suffered numerous injuries when he was hit last December at Maple Avenue and Peters Place. He has since returned to the job.
