Community members are demanding improved safety measures at a Gilroy intersection where a couple was fatally struck while crossing the street after dropping their child off at school.
Andrew and Stacia Stuart died following a Jan. 16 collision at Charles Lux Drive and Lopez Way, just feet from Las Animas Elementary School. The couple left behind 7-year-old twins—one a student at Las Animas and the other attending Rod Kelley Elementary School.
Andrew Stuart died at the scene after being struck about 9am. His wife, Stacia, was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition and later died from her injuries.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, neighbor Cindy Nunez ordered safety vests and stop signs from Amazon and began working the crosswalk herself, but her efforts to establish a formal volunteer crossing guard program have met with resistance from school officials.
Nunez said she contacted Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Anisha Munshi to propose organizing parent volunteers. The superintendent expressed concerns about liability and said volunteers would need formal training before directing traffic.
“She wanted them to have formal training for how to be a crosswalk person,” Nunez said. “However, I don’t have time to wait. My neighbors are scared and the kids are scared, so I took it upon myself.”
She was joined by Brenda Hogue, who works at Las Animas Elementary. The two women have been working different corners during the morning drop-off period.
“We had several people stopping, rolling their windows down, thanking us,” Hogue said. “You could just see the relief in their faces.”
Nunez has also launched a petition calling for enhanced pedestrian safety measures that has gathered more than 300 signatures at the time of writing. She is requesting the city install a four-way stop at the intersection, pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalk lights, clearly marked crosswalks and speed bumps.
“Every single area that there’s a school, they have beacon lights, they have clear crosswalks, they have signs on the road that say, ‘Slow down, school zone,’” Nunez said, describing what she observed in nearby Modesto. “Why do we not have that here?”
Advocates for the new safety measures spoke publicly at the Jan. 27 Gilroy City Council meeting to voice their concern that the tragedy may be doomed to repeat if steps are not taken to address the risks to pedestrians.
Mayor Greg Bozzo said “the council is listening” after the meeting, adding that the safety measures will be discussed at the upcoming annual joint meeting between the Gilroy City Council and the Gilroy Unified School District on Feb. 4.
“Now we will be able to have an open conversation, not only amongst the council members, but with the school board members,” Bozzo said. “There is an ongoing investigation into the accident, and the city of Gilroy is also looking at some of the circumstances from that particular area, and we will come back with some findings.”
Safety advocates are also organizing a peaceful demonstration at the Gilroy Unified offices at the time of the joint meeting.
A GoFundMe page organized by family friend Kristen Danielson aims to support the twins as they transition to living with their aunt Kelly Younger, who lives in Sunnyvale.
“For anyone who knew Andrew and Stacia, you know they were always the brightest faces in the room, always smiling,” the page reads. “They were amazing parents, family members, and friends, and we are all trying to figure out how to navigate a world without them.”
At the time of writing, the GoFundMe has already exceeded its initial goal of $100,000, with contributions from more than 800 individuals since the page was launched following the tragedy. To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/helping-the-stuart-twins-after-tragedy.
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, according to police. The teen driver who struck the Stuarts has cooperated with investigators.
