Kids’ Crossing Guard, 76, Run Down by Van

A 76-year-old Anaheim crossing guard, popular with the students she has helped for more than a decade, was injured Friday when a van struck her, dragged her underneath the chassis and crashed into a block wall, police said.

Firefighters and paramedics had to lift the van to reach Sally Provencio of Anaheim. She was taken to UCI Medical Center, where she was listed in fair condition Friday evening.

The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. as Provencio sat in a chair on the sidewalk awaiting the arrival of first-grade students on their way to Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.

Police said a 1989 Oldsmobile northbound on South East Street ran a red light and collided with a 1979 Chevrolet van heading east on Broadway. The van careened onto the sidewalk, hit two telephone poles and a power box before striking Provencio, said Anaheim police Sgt. Joe Vargas.

“We were surprised that she was alive, to be honest,” said Robyn Butler of the Anaheim Fire Department. “She never lost consciousness.”

The driver of the car, Richard Bone, 60, also was taken to UCIMC, where he also was listed in fair condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The driver of the van and a passenger had minor injuries and declined to be treated, Vargas said.

No charges have been filed, and the investigation is continuing, Vargas said.

Students, parents and faculty members were worried Friday about the petite woman, who has been a crossing guard for at least 15 years, Principal Mary Austad said.

“She never took a day off. What stands out the most about her is how careful she was and the concern that she always showed for the children.

That is a very dangerous corner, but her concern was always with the children and for the community,” Austad said.

Vargas said he has been waving to Provencio as he drove past for 12 years.

“She’s a fixture on that corner,” said Butler, who saw Provencio at the intersection every school day for the past 15 years.

All City Management Services, the contractor that employs Provencio, was flooded with calls from concerned students and parents on Friday, said Baron Farwell, an operations manager.

“She’s a tiny little thing but apparently has a great presence in that intersection,” said Patricia Pohl, a regional safety coordinator for All City.

“It’s ironic that for someone who spends that much time in the middle of the intersection, that she would come to be injured while sitting in her chair waiting for the kids to come,” Pohl said.