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88-Year-Old Crossing Guard 'Gave The Ultimate Sacrifice' Saving 2 Kids From Speeding Car
Bob Nill, known as "Mr. Bob" by the kids he protected has been hailed a hero by the Kansas City school where he worked.
A Kansas school crossing guard was struck and killed this week while helping two children get out of the way of a speeding car.
Bob Nill, an 88-year-old Kansas City resident, was fatally struck on Tuesday morning by a black sedan, the Kansas City (Kansas) Police Department said in a release issued this week.
Officers responded to the scene at around 7:56 a.m.; Nill and the driver were transported to a local hospital, where Nill died from the injuries he sustained, according to police. Authorities have not yet released a status update regarding the unidentified driver’s condition, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen.com.
Nill, who was known by the children as “Mr. Bob,” was patrolling the crosswalk in front of a local school just prior to the crash, local outlet Fox 4 reports. Witnesses told authorities that Nill pushed two children out of the way of the speeding car.
The city police department’s Traffic Support Unit/Critical Response Team are currently investigating the incident, authorities said. A spokesperson for the department told Oxygen.com that it’s “too soon” to comment as to whether the driver will face any charges.
Randy Nill, Bob's nephew, told Fox 4 that his uncle, who was retired following a career in banking and service in the National Guard, worked as a crossing guard to occupy his time and help children.
“What my Uncle Bob did for just getting little kids across the street seemed probably trivial to some people, but for him, it was a really important job, and now, we really know how important it was. He maybe saved some lives,” Randy Nill said.
The two children that Nill pushed out of the way were brothers, age 7 and 10, according to USA Today. Cathy Fithian, the principal of Christ the King Catholic School in Kansas City, where Nill worked for five years, said that the man’s actions likely saved the children’s lives.
“He gave his life so that others could live. He saved two young boys and he gave the ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “We’re just so grateful that as tragic as it was that it wasn’t more tragic thanks to his selfless act.”
The school also mourned the loss of their crossing guard in a Facebook post on Tuesday, describing him as a hero.
“Our hearts are heavy as we inform you of his passing,” their statement reads. “Please continue to keep Mr. Nill and his family in your prayers as well as the students, parents, and teachers who witnessed today's accident. Also know that Mr. Nill is a hero. He stopped two of our students from crossing the road as the car approached.”
