Op-Ed: Let's Help San Anselmo Man Who Saved Kid in Mill Valley

This op-ed ran on after quick-thinking crossing gaurd Jeff James, of San Anselmo, dove in front of an SUV in front of Tam Valley School in Mill Valley to save a kid. We're re-running it here, because what Jeff did is just that awesome.

Tuesday morning was a typical day for students. Everyone was rushing to school on the newly paved, wider sidewalks installed this summer. No one would've expected any kind of tragedy to happen in this sweet environment.

Outside school there was a tall, strong and highly visible crossing guard helping everyone move safely across the street. Inside the school grounds, children were being dropped off at the school curb as parents directed traffic.

There were plenty of smiles, with parents carrying keys and coffee cups and cute kids walking and riding bikes all dressed up for picture day. The little children looked a few notches more adorable than ever!

Then, suddenly, breaking the sweet moment, a loud shouting and screaming caught everyone's attention. We stared at the small boy in the crosswalk caught up in the thrill of the moment let go of his dad's hand and start running away and into the path of a black SUV making a dangerous turn.

Before the boy even noticed the car, Tam Valley crossing guard, Jeff James, dove in front of the moving car to save this young boy from being hit. The car stopped as Jeff, a San Anselmo resident, hurled his stop sign at it before he hit the ground in a tuck-and-roll move, landing his 6-foot, 3-inch, 265-pound body directly in front of the SUV's tires.

There wasn't any way that car was going to hit the oblivious child as long as Jeff was wedged into the tires.

And as fast as it all happened, everything went back to normal. Jeff sprung up, picked up his stop sign from the road and continued to cross a now large, stunned group of parents and kids. No tragedy, a huge problem completely avoided because Jeff acted fast.

Word traveled fast through the school grounds that Jeff was our hero. One parent even gave him her strawberry rhubarb crumble intended for a teacher. Within minutes everyone knew what happened and Jeff was being thanked profusely by all the walkers-by with small children in hand. We grew a new appreciation for the crossing guard and realized how much we need him.

Jeff was a substitute guard that day. He wasn't even supposed to be a substitute, but the sub that was on her way to the school got into a fender-bender and Jeff's supervisor, Lynn Menard, called him and asked if he would fill in. Jeff jumped in his car and got to work. He knew the importance of this job. Too well.

When one of Jeff’s son's was 6 years old, he was hit while crossing the street in Fairfax. He survived with a concussion and injuries. It's ironic that Jeff was where he was on Tuesday.

The community of Tam Valley Elementary School would like to thank Jeff publicly today. He's in a lot of pain from the fall and due to health reasons, he cannot take regular pain medications. His back is in bad shape and he needs our help. He knows the consequences of a fall like the one he took, but as he told several parents, "You would've done the same thing." His instincts kicked in, and he helped despite the consequences to his own body and health.

It's a form of dedication and service that can be extremely rare these days unless you're a fire fighter or police officer, and Jeff deserves a lot more than a rhubarb crumble and thank-you notes.

So here’s a call to action: We're asking Tam Valley parents and all who feel moved to donate today to a small fund to help Jeff James recover from his back pain. He will use this to get medical attention and therapy for his back since he cannot take pain medication. He's just a guy who followed his instincts, but it made a huge difference to so many people. Thank you, Jeff!

Make checks payable to Jeff James and send to Transportation Authority of Marin, Lynn Menard, P.O. Box 94, San Anselmo CA 94979.

--Carol Adelman, Tam Valley Elementary School parent