The daughter and partner of the Cherokee crossing guard injured in a hit-and-run spoke out Thursday.
Victor Baruchman is accused in a hit-and-run outside Liberty Elementary School on Bells Ferry Road that left crossing guard Jerrold Reaid with a broken ankle Tuesday. An anonymous tip led police to Baruchman, and he was arrested Wednesday. His bond was set at $15,000. Reaid is at home recovering.
Bill Epps, who was working with Reaid at the time of the accident, told Channel 2 Action News he was almost hit by the same car.
“I saw my partner on the ground, and I saw a car coming this way quite fast,” Epps said.
He said he was in the center lane and tried to stop the car.
“He did kind of swerve into the center lane so I had to get out of his way,” Epps said. “Whether he did it on purpose, I have no idea.”
Jessica Reaid, the daughter of the crossing guard, told Channel 2 she was frightened about her father’s condition.
“He’s an older gentleman and it’s my daddy. I was worried about him,” she said.
According to her, this is not the first time her father has been hit by a car, but he continues to help students cross the street.
“He’s technically retired … but he just needs something to keep him active and he loves the kids,” she said.
Baruchman, 20, told police he was driving fast down the road because he had to make it to his graduation from DUI school, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
“You’ve already messed up once,” Jessica Reaid said. “You’re going to your graduation ceremony so you’ve completed this, but now you’ve got yourself into even more serious trouble. All you had to do was stop.”
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