HILLIARD, Ohio – Police charged the driver of a dump truck that struck and killed a crossing guard who tried to protect an 8-year-old boy from getting hit, the police chief said Tuesday.
George Watkins faces a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of a misdemeanor count of vehicular homicide.
A witness told police that crossing guard Dianna Sharp tried to swoop the boy to safety as the truck bore down on them April 10 in front of Scioto-Darby Elementary in Hilliard, a Columbus suburb.
Sharp died at a hospital. The boy was seriously injured.
Hilliard Police Chief Rodney Garnett said Tuesday that drugs and alcohol weren't involved in the accident, and Watkins told police that he simply didn't see the woman and the boy in the crosswalk.
Watkins also is charged with misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter and failure to yield to pedestrians.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Watkins has an attorney. A message seeking comment was left at SBE Trucking in South Bloomingville, where Watkins works.
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