ORANGE PARK, Fla. — John Shatto has seen a lot in his 83 years. A veteran of both Korea and Vietnam, he’s seen men die with his own eyes. But in his 19 years helping school kids cross roads safely, he’s never been hit by a vehicle.
Until now.
Last Thursday, December 13th, the crossing guard was struck by a driver immediately after helping two Orange Park High School students cross Kingsley Avenue. It was about 6:45 A.M., before sunrise.
“His mirror hit me on my right arm,” Shatto began during an interview Tuesday in his living room, where he has spent much of his time recovering from widespread bruises, scrapes, and contusions. “I went in the air and flipped over three times before I hit the ground.”
“I was scared to death when I saw the fire truck pull across the road to his side of the road,” said Shatto’s wife Lillian, a six-year crossing guard herself, who was working nearby.
Miraculously, John Shatto, who says he was wearing a reflective vest and carrying a reflective stop sign, suffered no broken bones.
“[The driver] just said he said he was sorry for hitting me and he didn’t see me,” Shatto said, adding that he believes the driver, 73-year-old Horatio George of Jacksonville, was speeding.
“The speed limit on Kingsley is 40 miles an hour,” Shutto explained. “There’s no school zone right there.”
Nevertheless, Shatto harbors no ill feeling toward George, who declined an interview and faces potential charges.
“I would talk to him, I have no animosity,” he said.
What he does have, he says regularly, is close calls.
“[Lillian] and I, on an average, almost get hit at least three times a week, right there on Kingsley,” he shared.
Sometimes by ‘friendly’ fire.
“Parents have dropped [their kids] off at the high school, and they come out and they turn, and they’re not paying attention to you.”
He’s also gained a troubling perspective about driver aptitude in general.
“Over the years I’ve seen it getting worse and worse,” he said, underscoring the choice by drivers to distract themselves.
“I’ve seen a woman putting her blouse on while she was driving,” he said beginning a long list of mindboggling behaviors.
“Eating breakfast in their cereal bowl” … “have a book in the middle of the steering wheel, reading a book” … “putting makeup on” … “and talking on their cell phone” … “these drivers do everything they can possibly do while they’re driving.”
Despite the trend both husband and wife agree is troubling, Shatto insists he’ll be back at the job as soon as he can.
“I love those kids, I would do anything for them,” he said of what draws him most to the job. “They’re so funny sometimes, they tell you everything that’s going on.”
Doctors estimate it will take at least six to eight weeks for Shatto to heal.
“It’s going to take a lot to put me down permanently,” he said.
“I’m excited for him to get back,” wife Lillian chimed in. “It’s just something we do.”