JOLIET — The community of Joliet is demanding safety upgrades to a crosswalk in town after a student was hit by a vehicle on Tuesday afternoon.
The student suffered minor injuries and will recover, but the incident reignited safety concerns about the busy intersection that residents and school officials have been raising for years.
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Joliet mother Emilee Cherry lives less than 100 feet from the crosswalk and said she saw the accident happen.
"He looked both ways and stepped out onto his bike and got hit," said Cherry. "As a mom, yeah, that's very heart-wrenching, and it's always something terrifying living right by the crosswalk that I see all the time."
Cherry said the intersection between South Park Street and West Front Avenue, which crosses Highway 212 through town, is often dangerous for pedestrians.
"It's anything from distracted driving, speeding, to the kids themselves not paying as much attention as they should," Cherry said. "It's not marked as well as it should be. There's just a lot of traffic."
The safety concerns are shared by crosswalk guard Mark Rupprechet, who admits that there are times when he's afraid to do his job.
"Slowing down does not seem to be something that people want to do," Rupprechet said. "I've experienced anything from not going to actually even having to step back because it was way closer and faster than you thought."
Joliet Schools Superintendent Clark Begger has been advocating for changes at the crosswalk. In December 2024, he sent a letter to the Montana Department of Transportation requesting improvements.
"We've expressed our concern that something serious is going to happen, and I think we're just getting closer and closer to that day," Begger said on a phone call with MTN. "We're just concerned that the issue that happened last night is the beginning. Hopefully it's not the beginning of a trend."
For Rupprechet, Tuesday's accident was his worst nightmare, even though it happened after his shift ended.
"You dread it and you think it scares the heck out of you to know it happened," Rupprechet said. "If something isn't done, it's more than likely going to happen."
