During the morning commute on February 23, 2023, crossing guard Dave Peavy was struck by a car, sustaining injuries and is, as of writing, in the ICU. When he was recovered by emergency responders, he was conscious. Peavy will require surgery and will stay in the hospital for a minimum of 2 weeks, according to family members. 

Abenezer Worku, a junior, witnessed the accident this morning.

“I was in my mom’s car, looking at Dave, because he was looking at me,” Worku said. “He was hit by a car while guiding a kid to cross the street.”

The child Peavy was guiding was not hit. He didn’t get a chance to cross because the car had hit Peavy in an instant.

When the incident occurred, Kerri Kueser, a math teacher, was stopped at the stop sign opposite of the cross walk. She immediately got out of her vehicle to make sure Peavy was breathing. 

“My first instinct was to make sure he could get air,” Kueser said. “I was just hoping that he was breathing or I was thinking I was gonna have to do CPR, which luckily I know how to do, but he was breathing.”

This was an incredibly frightening situation and thankfully Kueser and Tony Peyton were there and both knew what to do in emergency situations.

“He [Peavy] clearly had some injuries and I won’t go into detail on that, but I just held his hand and just told him to squeeze if he needed to and focus on me and just keep breathing,” Kueser said.

Peavy was taken into the hands of first responders following the incident. There is limited information on Peavy’s current situation. For now, it is important students, faculty, and the community of Gardner Edgerton keep Peavy in their thoughts and stay mindful of the situation.