Story and Photos by MIKE LEE

It happened in seconds

Krystyna Naprawa, a veteran Local 372 School Crossing Guard, was struck and killed by a privately operated dump truck on Friday, Oct. 20. She died in the line of duty just after safely helping several people cross a busy intersection in Woodhaven, Queens.

As a singular, vital presence in the community, the 63-year-old crossing guard served for more than a decade, ensuring safety for children attending the school nearby her post. Just before the accident, a video camera captured Naprawa assisting a small group of pedestrians, including a mother and her baby, at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard.

She had just returned to the front of the curb when the driver turned in her path. Before she had time to react, the truck fatally struck.

Naprawa’s family, coworkers, union siblings, and the surrounding community were devastated by her death.

The following Monday, her family and neighbors were joined by Local 372 leaders and elected officials for a candlelight vigil at the site of the accident to mourn and pay tribute to the public worker who paid the ultimate price while serving her community.

“We are deeply saddened by this devastating loss,” said Henry Garrido, District Council 37 Executive Director. “Krystyna was a member of Local 372 since she joined the City of New York’s crossing guard ranks in 2010. These heroes put their lives on the line for our kids and neighborhoods daily, and this tragedy makes that stark fact unavoidable.”

Garrido pointed out this was just the latest of a series of accidents involving Local 372’s School Crossing Guards.

“This is the third guard struck by a vehicle in just a matter of months. Anything over zero is unacceptable,” Garrido said. “We will continue to push the City to fill vacant positions and increase funding that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of our School Crossing Guards and those they serve.”

The union has demanded that the Adams administration fully staff New York City’s School Crossing Guards who serve nearly 1 million children enrolled in schools citywide. In June, Local 372 rallied to restore nearly 500 vacant positions threatened by budget cuts,

“Let me be clear: our children need sufficient guards at every school corner to keep them safe and protected,” said Shaun D. Francois I, Local 372 and DC 37 President, at the June 5 rally. “Cutting vacant positions and hindering future hiring to fill budget gaps sets a dangerous precedent in our communities.”
Naprawa’s death was the fourth incident involving the death or injury of a School Crossing Guard in the line of duty this year. A fifth guard was hit and seriously injured by a taxi in Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Nov. 6.