A Polk County crossing guard is in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning.
According to deputies, 49-year-old Wanda Rice was struck by a truck at the intersection of Socrum Loop Road and Marcum Road near Lake Gibson High School around 6:30 a.m.
Rice had parked her bike on the east side of the intersection and walked across to the Hess station. As she was returning from the store, walking east, she entered the crosswalk on the pedestrian signal and was hit by a Ford Ranger pickup truck.
The 16-year-old driver of the Ranger told deputies he saw another vehicle coming the opposite direction toward him stop, making him believe the driver had yielded to him.
The Ranger driver accelerated and struck the crossing Rice while she was still in the crosswalk.
Sheriff Grady Judd said Rice's head struck the ground and she suffered a traumatic brain injury. He said she was in extremely grave condition.
Rice was a regular customer at the Hess station. Workers there knew her well. Manager Heather Zimmerman said Rice really cared about keeping students from Lake Gibson Middle School safe.
"You see when she is out there doing her job everyday," said Zimmerman. "Making sure they get across OK. She comes up here and hangs out with the middle schoolers. Making sure they are OK. Joking with them."
People who knew Rice described her as homeless. Sheriff Judd said her supervisors knew she lived in a tent. They had worked with her several times to get her housing but apparently she preferred to live in open spaces.
"And she had a location where she kept her clothes neat, clean and dry," said Judd. "She showered. She was always well pressed, but permanent roots seemed to bother her."
Deputies went to her tent after the accident to look for information on next of kin but were having a hard time finding relatives.
The 16-year-old driver had not been charged Wednesday afternoon but the sheriff said there was an ongoing investigation.