School crossing guard pushes Simi Valley pedestrian out of the way before being struck by car

A Simi Valley school crossing guard was severely injured Friday morning after pushing a pedestrian out of the way of an oncoming car and being struck himself by the vehicle, authorities said.

The Simi Valley Police Department responded about 7:30 a.m. to Royal Avenue and Vaquero Drive, near Madera Elementary School.

“When he was in the street with his stop sign up, he did push a pedestrian out of the way so that they were not struck by the oncoming vehicle,” the department’s Sgt. Steve Shorts said.

The guard suffered potentially life-threatening injuries and was being treated at a hospital, authorities said.

Two crossing guards, including the person who was struck, were stationed in the area as young students and parents were making their way to school, Shorts said. The second guard was working on Madera Road and Royal Avenue.

The intersection where the guard was injured is controlled by stoplights, although it was not known whether the driver ran a red light. Officers do not have evidence that the driver was impaired, officials said.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra