Outrage is growing after a school crossing guard was punched and knocked unconscious in front of children earlier this week in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Darby Borough police said the guard was chased and attacked Monday afternoon while helping students cross the street after school. A driver got out of his car and targeted her after he became angry about having to wait, officials said.

The victim worked for Safe Corridors, a volunteer-driven nonprofit founded in 2012 that provides school support and mentoring. Risa DeSilva-King, the nonprofit’s chief of operations, said Safe Corridors employs about 60 crossing guards across the city of Chester, the borough of Darby and the borough of Sharon Hill.

DeSilva-King said the victim is traumatized and has resigned because she no longer feels safe.

“This is the first time we’ve had a crossing guard intentionally assaulted by a member of the community,” DeSilva-King said. “We were completely shocked, disgusted and dismayed.”

Now, the person stepping into that role said the job feels more dangerous than ever.

“I gotta be visual,” Larry Cottrell, the new crossing guard at the intersection, said. “I gotta constantly look around, my surroundings.”

He’s now working at the same Darby Borough intersection, South 6th and Walnut streets, where the attack happened. Cottrell said the attack is troubling.

“It wasn’t right for the kids to see something like that,” he said.

In response to the attack, Safe Corridors is now working with state Sen. Anthony Williams’ office on proposed legislation that would classify crossing guards as first responders and require a minimum sentence for anyone who assaults them.

“I think the job of a crossing guard can be pretty dangerous, especially depending on the community where that crossing guard is working,” DeSilva-King said.

The organization is also reevaluating safety measures.

“One of the things I learned is that supplying the crossing guards with walkie talkies would be a great start, so they can call in for help,” Jonathan Abdur-Rahim King, the founder of Safe Corridors, said.

DeSilva-King said Safe Corridors provides monthly professional development to its crossing guards and safety advocates.

“I have always instructed our crossing guards to maintain their professionalism,” DeSilva-King said. “That includes not going back and forth verbally with aggressive drivers because that can escalate a situation. Based on my interactions with this crossing guard, as well as my review of the video, this crossing guard was not aggressive with the driver verbally or otherwise. And so this attack was totally unprovoked.”

After school dismissal on Thursday, people in Darby showed support with kind words and appreciation.

“Crossing guards are very valuable to the community,” Tiffany Spisak from Colwyn said. “Not a lot of people respect stop signs, so it’s very important to have crossing guards out there just to make sure the kids are safe.”

Cottrell said he’s prepared if the suspect returns.

“I’ll be waiting for him,” Cottrell said. “If he comes at me like that, I’m going to defend myself.”

Police are asking for the public’s help identifying the suspect. Sen. Williams’ office is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

“Increasingly in our society standards of respect and dignity are collapsing, for a man to hit a woman who is at least six to seven inches shorter and probably close to 100 pounds lighter,” Williams said. “I thought the suspect was cowardly in how he ran away. We need to send a message to a generation that possibly thinks it’s OK to do that, that they need to rethink how they handle their frustrations and how they approach people they have difference of opinions with.”

Today marks the first day of March Madness.

As basketballs are bouncing all across America, one road in Delaware has some new orange balls hanging from the sky to keep drivers and infrastructure safe.

The Chapel Street Railroad Bridge in Newark is only 12 feet tall and since 2005 there have been 60 reported incidents where trucks have gotten stuck under the bridge.

Every bridge strike could mean a major disruption on the busy rails that run through town.

“Clanker” balls were installed on the north side of the bridge and the south side balls will go up soon.

The clankers are a series of bright orange and heavy-duty plastic balls that hang at the clearance height down the street before the bridge.

The bridge will also get the same treatment as nearby Casho Mill Road with clankers, sensors, lights and a lot of warning signs.

Casho Mill Road was Delaware’s most frequently hit bridge but crashes have gone down significantly since the balls were installed in 2022.

DelDOT says their clankers at Milford and Delaware Park have worked well but it’s not perfect.

There have been instances where people driving trucks will hit the balls, slow down, look to see what happened but then continue to drive under the bridge anyway.

One popular theory among some is that a few of the strikes are by University of Delaware students who are moving in or out and they are not used to driving rental box trucks.

The clanker balls have been so successful in Delaware that other states have asked DelDOT about their creative solution.

Another set of clankers is scheduled to go up at Low Rail Bridge in Newport.

100 Years Ago, 1926: Organization of a cleanup commission was perfected by a group of businessmen and citizens representing various service clubs interested in the sanitary and civic welfare of Chester during a conference held yesterday afternoon in the office of Walter H. Craig, city commissioner and superintendent of parks and public property in City Hall. Mr. Craig was unanimously chosen chairman of the commission, the personnel of which includes T.J. Sproul, representing the Rotary Club; James P. Hopkins, Chester Real Estate Board; J.V. Wingert, Exchange Club; Charles Hopkins, Business Men’s Association; Ellwood J. Turner and Charles Connors, Kiwanis Club.

75 Years Ago, 1951: The 50 evacuees from Strath Haven Inn on Saturday night were accommodated with great speed by two county Red Cross disaster units. Mr. and Mrs. J. Passmore Elkinton, 741 Harvard Ave., Swarthmore, opened the facilities of their home to the weary, elderly persons. The Elkinton cottage is about 150 feet from the north end of the inn. The evacuees were taken into the Elkinton home and at one time there were as many 30 located there. The Elkintons gave out blankets and extra clothing so the thinly-clad could keep warm. Mrs. Elkinton served cookies and coffee.

50 Years Ago, 1976: Delaware County Judge Clement J. McGovern Jr. has been advised by the attorney for Frank A. Metzger, accused in the 1974 slaying of his estranged wife, that a motion for change of venue will be withdrawn. Judge McGovern said today that the trial will be rescheduled for March 29. Metzger was originally set to go on trial March 8.

25 Years Ago, 2001: From Neal Zoren’s TV column: Students from Upper Darby High School will visit Channel 10 on Wednesday as part of a national Television Literacy Day program sponsored by the local chapter of those folks who bring you the Emmy, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Upper Darby is one of the best schools in the region when it comes to acquainting its students with a larger world. Its theater and choral programs always seem to garner attention. It’s good to see the school has this chance to add media literacy to subjects it can offer its students.

10 Years Ago, 2016: At a council meeting ceremony, Upper Darby police Criminal Investigator Philip Lydon joined a prestigious group of officers who received the Dennis McNamara Memorial Award. Mayor Thomas Micozzie announced in conjunction with the award that state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163, was working towards naming a portion of Lansdowne Avenue from State Road to School Lane in memory of McNamara.

— COLIN AINSWORTH