BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — On October 16, 2024, 8-year-old Ricardo "Richie" Aguilar, was killed after being struck by a car while walking home from school. Seven months later, a crosswalk has now been installed.
- On October 16, 2024, 8-year-old Ricardo "Richie" Aguilar, was killed after being struck by a car while walking home from school.
- At the time, it was the only intersection on that block without a crosswalk.
- Now, seven months later, a crosswalk has officially been placed on the intersection of Bank and Holby.
For the longest time at Roosevelt Elementary School, there were only three crosswalks surrounding the school. City officials, addressing this issue in past council meetings to protect the safety of students. After the death of an 8 year old back in October, there is now a brand new crosswalk.
“I was like seeing the little trucks painting and I was like oh wow finally you know, it’s just sad that an incident has to occur for the city to do something,” said parent Loreina Ruiz.
Ruiz tells me since the death of 8-year-old Ricardo "Richie" Aguilar, she doesn’t allow her daughter to walk home from school alone anymore.
In October of last year, Richie was hit by car while crossing the intersection of Bank and Holby.
Flowers, candles, and toys still hold a place for Richie at the site.
Now seven months after, city council member Andrae Gonzales, in charge of ward 2, has announced on his instagram page, the installation of a newly painted crosswalk.
His caption writing in part, “While these steps cannot reverse time, the changes reflect our community's deep commitment to preventing future tragedies and honoring his memory with purpose.”
Another parent we spoke with says she too doesn’t let her son walk home alone and believes this crosswalk is just the beginning.
“There are mothers maybe can’t pick up their kids and they need to walk home from school. I think people need to be more vigilant,” said Berenice Manza.
Lucio Hernandez is a crossing guard for Roosevelt Elementary School and was hired around the time of Richie’s death. He tells me in the months he’s been here, he too has seen reckless drivers.
“On H street, I see a couple of cars fly across without even stopping, they just fly across without stopping. That’s why I’m here I’m like their human stop sign,” said Hernandez.
Continuing Gonzales’s post, he writes, “From adopting the first-ever traffic calming handbook, to establishing the city's first multimodal transportation committee, we're working to provide more tools for community members to help make their neighborhood streets safer. But It's clear, we still have a lot of work to do.”
With the installation of this crosswalk, it has also been confirmed by Gonzales that the school district will be adding a crossing guard on Thursday the 15.
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