Crossing guards get protection

Cindy Krzyzewski spent Wednesday after school passing out bags of Halloween treats with glow sticks.

It was a reminder that she's more conscious than ever about watching out for kids and looking over her own shoulder for motorists who aren't paying attention.

Krzyzewski is at the heart of one of two laws spawned by suburban concerns that will stiffen penalties for drivers who race through crosswalks near schools and cause a tragedy.

Most people know Krzyzewski, as "Mrs. K."

She is a crossing guard at two intersections in Wheaton.

Back in January, a motorist slammed into Krzyzewski and three students as they crossed Naperville Road at Elm Street near Edison Middle School.

All four suffered injuries of varying degrees. Krzyzewski's leg was broken, and she needed stitches to close a gash on her head.

"She'll always have one knee bigger than the other, and, on certain days when storms come in, she'll feel it more," her husband, Bob, said Thursday. "I'm just thankful to still have her."

Krzyzewski used his wife's accident to do something that would prevent similar accidents. He is a Milton Township Republican precinct committeeman. So he reached out to state Sen. Randy Hultgren, a Wheaton Republican, to create a new law.

Hultgren's law makes drivers pay if they fail to stop or yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk near a school. The first violation is a petty offense with a $150 fine and a $50 fee that goes to the school district. A second violation carries a $300 fine, plus the $50 fee. The law takes effect Jan. 1.

Cindy Krzyzewski also will have the protection of another law. It was spawned by the concerns of a Des Plaines crossing guard who noticed an increase in motorists whizzing by him this year.

The law, sponsored by state Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, addresses collisions where crossing guards or school children are seriously hurt or killed.

Starting June 1, a driver who hits and kills a pedestrian in a crosswalk where a crossing guard is present is guilty of a Class 2 felony. The penalty is 3 to 14 years in prison for one death and 6 to 28 years for two or more deaths.

If the collision doesn't kill anyone but causes "great bodily harm" or permanent disability or disfigurement, it's a Class 4 felony. The penalty is 1 to 3 years in prison.