A crossing guard working his morning shift in Barrhaven was critically injured after being struck by a dark-colored pickup truck that fled the scene. The incident happened around 8:20 a.m. on March 23 near an elementary school intersection that hundreds of families pass through daily.
Ottawa police are searching for the driver of what they believe is a dark Ford F-150 involved in the collision at Cedarview Road and Kennevale Drive. The location sits just blocks from Mary Honeywell Elementary School, where children were likely arriving for classes when the incident occurred.
The crossing guard, a man in his 50s, sustained life-threatening injuries while on duty. Paramedics stabilized him at the scene before transporting him to hospital, where his condition remained critical. Police investigators are urgently asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has dashcam footage to come forward.
I’ve covered numerous traffic incidents throughout Ottawa over the years, but hit-and-runs involving school safety personnel hit differently. These are individuals we trust with our children’s lives every single day.
The collision has reignited long-standing concerns about speeding in this particular Barrhaven neighborhood. A photo radar camera installed on Cedarview Road near Cedarview Middle School issued over 7,300 speeding tickets in just its first two months of operation back in 2023. Those numbers tell a troubling story about driver behavior in a zone where kids walk to school.
Barrhaven West Councillor David Hill confirmed that parents and residents identified this area as problematic over the past couple of years. Kennevale Drive near Mary Honeywell Elementary School was designated as a community safety zone last summer, with police stepping up enforcement efforts.
Hill was careful to distinguish between general speeding concerns and the specific nature of this incident. A hit-and-run represents something entirely different from a speeding violation. It’s a choice a driver makes to flee after causing harm to another human being.
Mike Carroccetto lives six doors from the intersection where the crossing guard was struck. He didn’t witness the collision but wasn’t surprised to hear about ongoing speed issues. He described the stretch between Cedarview Road and Hennepin Street as resembling a racetrack, particularly during morning hours when activity peaks.
The West Barrhaven Community Association released a statement expressing deep concern about the incident. Marc Lavoie, the association’s director of traffic and transportation, said their thoughts are with the injured crossing guard, his family, and any children who may have witnessed the terrible event.
Lavoie confirmed that Kennevale Drive has been on their radar for some time. Flex stakes were installed last year after the community safety zone designation, and more are planned for reinstallation this year. The association is following developments closely to develop recommendations for improving overall safety in Barrhaven.
Walking my own neighborhood in Ottawa, I often notice how quickly drivers accelerate even in clearly marked school zones. The morning rush creates a dangerous mix of impatience and distraction.
Crossing guards in Ottawa work for the Ottawa Safety Council, not schools or school boards directly. This non-profit organization handles recruitment, training, and support for over 580 guards currently working across the city. The Ottawa Safety Council is actually the longest-serving outsourced school crossing guard provider in Ontario, operating programs in Ottawa, Toronto West, and Brockville.
The organization offers multiple school zone safety programs beyond crossing guards, including pedestrian safety education, walking school buses, and bicycle safety instruction. Their crossing guard program follows strict provincial guidelines outlined in Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
When a crossing guard displays their red and white stop sign, the law is clear. Drivers must stop before reaching the crossing and remain stopped until every person, including the guard themselves, has completely cleared the roadway. This means both lanes of traffic, not just the side drivers happen to be on.
The 2023 Ottawa Safety Council Crossing Guard Guide specifies that crossing guards can only be assigned to locations where speed limits are 60 kilometers per hour or less. This requirement recognizes the inherent vulnerability of pedestrians, particularly children, in these high-traffic zones.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is urged to contact the Ottawa Police Service Collision Investigations Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 2345. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or submit tips online at crimestoppers.ca.
The search for the driver continues as investigators piece together what happened during those critical morning moments. Dashcam footage from vehicles traveling through the area could prove essential to identifying the truck and its driver.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks crossing guards face every single day. They stand at busy intersections in all weather conditions, placing themselves between moving vehicles and vulnerable children. We trust them with an enormous responsibility, yet they work for modest pay and often without the recognition they deserve.
As Barrhaven continues growing rapidly, with new developments adding thousands of residents, traffic safety concerns will only intensify. The community needs sustained attention to infrastructure improvements, enforcement, and driver education to prevent future tragedies.
For now, a crossing guard fighting for his life in hospital deserves our collective support and determination to find the person responsible. Someone in Barrhaven knows something about that dark Ford F-150. Coming forward could make all the difference.
