Crosswalk concerns pour in from parents in Irvington

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Some parents in Irvington claim there have been too many close calls at crosswalks while they are walking their kids to and from school.

Michelle Pleasant says she and her small children were almost hit by a car while crossing Washington Street on Monday.

“As we were crossing with the signal, we had someone who almost turned into us who wasn’t looking, wasn’t paying attention,” Pleasant said.

The area along Washington Street is the same place where 7-year-old Hannah Crutchfield was killed in September while crossing the street with her mom after school.

Pleasant says that when she walks anywhere in the neighborhood, she pulls a big red wagon with flashing lights. However, she said, when it comes to distracted and aggressive drivers, her extra effort doesn’t seem to make a difference.

“It was again upsetting and scary, and then hearing that it’s not just us who are having this issue, that everyone is consistently afraid to cross Washington Street or cross any of the major roads,” Pleasant said.

Neighbors and parents, like Amanda McCarthy, tell News 8 they were hopeful things would change following Hannah’s death, but, so far, many claim they haven’t.

“I haven’t seen a lot of patrols or anything and I haven’t noticed a lot of change, like our Citizens App. People are always on that thing. Stuff is always popping up,” McCarthy said.

Pleasant said she and several other parents have gone to the Statehouse to speak out against an amendment that opposes expanding the Blue Line in Irvington. She said bringing the Blue Line to Irvington would help slow traffic and make the neighborhood safer.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said East District officers continue to focus on the area whenever they’re available.