BRIGHTON, N.Y. — Brighton Police Department is looking to add more crossing guards to the 12 corners area after a 12-year-old girl was struck by a vehicle riding her bike to school last week.

Jacqueline Navia says she saw the young girl approaching the intersection of Monroe Avenue and Brooklawn Drive. At the fear of the young girl not stopping she came to a halt to let the young girl cross not realizing it was a green light. She says a car then came from the other side of the road and struck her.

“It was horrifying, as a mother, my 12-year-old son was in the front seat of the car. It was his classmate. I didn’t know that at the time, we all got out. I didn’t want to look. She was thrown up over the windshield and down in front of the car. I saw her move. My first instinct was to tell her not to move,” Navia said.

Police say the Brighton Middle School student was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released from the hospital. The driver was ticketed for failure to exercise due care and speed not reasonable approaching an intersection.

In a weeks’ time, 32,000 drivers went through residential neighborhoods in the area and residents say they’re concerned by the volume of traffic.

“That is a major cut through for our community in which vehicles are using that neighborhood Torrington as a means to get to the expressway,” said Brighton Police Chief Chief Mark Henderson.

In an effort to bring more awareness of these pedestrians to drivers at the 12 corners intersection, the Brighton Police Department launched the “School’s Open, Stay Alert” initiative. Within the first three days of the initiative 63 traffic tickets were issued.

“We have a lot of pedestrians and students in this area. You need to be alert, you need to put the phone down, you need to be aware that at any time a pedestrian or bicyclist can be in front of you and you take immediate quick action to avoid that collision,” said Henderson.

“It takes a village to raise a family and we need a village that is going to gather around and watch each other’s kids for any dangers that may be out there,” said Navia.

Henderson, along with the Brighton Town Public Safety Committee Board, is working to increase the number of crossing guards in the area. However, because it’s a state intersection the town is reaching out to the Department of Transportation to see what other measures can be taken. In the meantime, they have additional patrols in the area.