STANSBURY PARK — A family knows how painful it can be when a driver fails to see you on a zebra crossing.

Max Winn is a typical 11-year-old boy who likes to play games at home.

“Board games, card games, Pokémon,” said Max. “I like Uno, Life – it’s just fun and interesting.”

It wasn’t long ago that these games helped Max through some difficult days of recovery after he and his mother were hit by an SUV in a crosswalk. Their injuries were severe.

“I had a broken leg and when I got hit my arm really hurt,” Max said. “Mom had lots of bruises all over and a really bad one on her leg.”

“I have herniated disks in my neck and back,” said Aubree Winn, Max’s mother. “I also have a shoulder injury.”

The duo was struck by the Dodge Durango on October 30, 2023. It was Max’s birthday and his mother was taking him to school that morning. As they approached the intersection at the corner of Montauk Lane and Village Blvd, the two grabbed the orange flag, checked to make sure the road was clear, and began crossing it toward Bonneville Academy.

“I didn’t see it, I didn’t hear it,” said Aubree Winn. “I had no idea until the car was in my stomach.”

“The car just hit us and I blacked out for a second. Then I woke up on the floor and was like, ‘What happened? Did I just get hit?'” Max added.

The two spent months in therapy to recover from their physical and emotional injuries. As the new school year begins, the two are pleading with drivers to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening on the road.

“I just want people to take that extra time, that extra thought, think about other people, think about how their actions can affect other people, how a split second of inattention or distraction or maybe even rushing, just that one split second can really cause something that can’t be undone,” Aubree Winn said.

“Just pay attention to the road, especially the zebra crossing,” Max added.

The crosswalk at Montauk Lane and Village Blvd as students are escorted by crossing guards (KSL TV)

After the accident, parents of Bonneville Academy students contacted KSL TV with concerns about the safety of the railroad crossing at Montauk Lane and Village Blvd and the area’s lack of a school zone. Academy staff manned the railroad crossing before and after school.

At the time, Tooele County authorities promised to investigate the border crossing and installed a digital speed warning sign to slow traffic.

According to Brittany Lopez, district manager of Tooele County Assist, a pedestrian count was conducted after the accident, but it did not meet the threshold for the county to take action.

A meeting was held with Bonneville Academy in February to inform them of their next steps toward obtaining an official school zoning designation.

Bonneville Academy Principal Juliette Herrera sent KSL TV the following statement regarding the developments at that meeting:

The Bonneville Academy Board of Directors met with Tooele County officials to discuss the possibility of installing a crosswalk to ensure the safety of our students. The county recommended that we work with UDOT to create a safe route to school map. However, they also informed us that there is no guarantee that we would be eligible for a crosswalk, primarily because charter schools do not have designated boundary lines. Additionally, if approved, Bonneville Academy would be responsible for the costs associated with installing the crosswalk.

To increase our chances of success, the BA Board is working closely with administration to establish a Crosswalk Committee. This committee, comprised of parents, teachers, and community members, will advocate for the crosswalk, not only for the benefit of Bonneville Academy, but for the entire Stansbury Park community.

In the meantime, we have posted BA staff in the crosswalk area to ensure the safety of our students.

“It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing,” said Aubree Winn. “We had really high hopes that something positive, some big changes would be made after this incident, and since that hasn’t happened, we feel kind of disappointed.”

While the mother continues to advocate for safety around Bonneville Academy, she and Max are working toward being able to walk to and from school again. Max is using the tools he learned in therapy to work toward that goal.

“Mom, if you ever feel like I’m making you nervous on the way home from school, just remember that I’ve done it all the time and nothing bad has ever happened until this day,” he said.

“And that’s something he learned from working with his therapist,” added Aubree Winn.

When Aubree Winn reflects on the accident, she says she’s thankful that Max was just behind her and the Durango hit her first. If their positions had been reversed, she fears what could have happened.

“If he had been in front and got hit first, it would have been much worse. It could have killed him. It could have caused brain damage,” she said.

Aubree Winn said she is looking forward to the new school year and a fresh start for her family.

“It’s been a long, hard journey. Even once you get through the physical aspect, there’s still the mental and emotional aspect,” she said.

Max is looking forward to 6th grade. He says he loves school and although he is a little nervous, he is happy to be there.

“I’m pretty excited to see if this will be a really good year,” said Max.

KSL TV is working to obtain pedestrian count data from Tooele County.