ST. CLOUD, Fla. – Driving down 13th Street — also known as 192 — can be a nightmare.
Rebecca Laisch said crossing 192 on foot could cost you your life.
“Oh, see? He just ran that red light. Shame on him,” Laisch told News 6.
She helped students cross that street and Michigan Avenue as a crossing guard for a decade until she was hit in 2020 while on duty.
“I had a punctured lung, three broken ribs. On my hand, I’ve had five surgeries. Unfortunately, my hand is too damaged to do anymore,” Laisch said.
It’s why Rebecca reached out to News 6 to push for change.
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“You want to turn this area into a school zone. Not just because of the speed — we also have schools in the area. Down Michigan on the right side is the high school, on the left side is the middle school, and right next to it is the elementary school,” Laisch said.
News 6 called FDOT about lowering the speed limit on 192 and learned just a few blocks down the road,16-year-old Joshua Lyonnais died after he was hit while biking across 192.
“It’s such a tragedy. It’s hard getting through every day without him. I get reminders everyday,” said Celeste Martin, Lyonnais’ mother.
FDOT said this caused them to do a study in 2019 for ways to improve safety on the state road.
“I just started sitting here and watching other people cross. A few near misses. Took pictures. Took videos. Contacted FDOT,” Martin said.
Since then, signals and lighting, blank-out signs for no turn on red, reflective backplates.
The ladies are happy to see the improvements but they still want more to be done.
“They still travel way too fast along here, and I’ve seen many cars run those red lights still,” Laisch said.
FDOT officials said they’re still planning to add more safety measures, including reconstructing medians, and Z” pattern high-emphasis crosswalks.
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