By Mary O’KEEFE

Those in Crescenta Valley know well to avoid the Ralph’s market parking lot in the 2600 block of Foothill Boulevard from 2:50 p.m. to 4 p.m. This is when students from Rosemont Middle School swarm the parking lot, either waiting for a ride home or spending those last few minutes with friends before going home and doing homework. The parking lot has been a traffic concern not only during these times but also during other times, especially at the entrance/exit driveway on the east side of the lot.

Rosemont students, along with other patrons, normally pack the sidewalk near Starbucks and Citibank and Monday, April 22 was no exception.

Ailani Yanez, a Rosemont eighth grader, was at Starbucks with many of her classmates on that day.

“I usually stop at Starbucks to get something to drink. I came out of Starbucks and there were a lot of kids being picked up,” said Yanez. “There were a lot of kids and a lot of cars.”

She saw a man come out of the Little Caesars, which is near Starbucks, carrying pizzas. Yanez saw with him a toddler she assumed was his daughter. The girl started walking, then running, away from him.

“He kept yelling for his daughter to come back but she wasn’t coming back,” Yanez said.

The little girl ran toward the east entrance/exit of the parking lot between Citibank and Togos/Baskin Robbins. She was running toward the blue crosswalk that stretches across the roadway.

“There were a bunch of kids and adults on the sidewalk and a lot of stuff going on but no one noticed or paid any attention,” Yanez said. “I saw her running toward the street. That’s when I freaked out. I dropped my bag and I ran towards her because she was running towards the street. I saw this girl (or woman) driving a black [what I think was an] SUV toward her. [The driver] was on her phone and wasn’t paying attention. So I jumped forward and caught the little girl and we both fell backwards onto the ground.”

Yanez checked the toddler to make sure she was okay; she did not appear to be harmed. The father ran towards her and picked up his little girl.

“He just kept thanking me over and over again. I told him it was no problem. I have a little brother and I know how little kids can be. He tried to offer me money but I said no because I just kept thinking about my little brother … I could just imagine how we would feel if something like this happened to him,” she said. “The woman who was driving didn’t even look [up] from her phone. I don’t think she even knew how close she came to us.”

Yanez estimated the little girl was about five feet from the car when she grabbed her. She said the father at first seem shocked that this all happened and just continued to thank her. She told him she was glad the toddler was okay and then left. She didn’t say anything to her mom that day when she got home.

“I knew something was wrong because she came home and she was so tired. We have a very close relationship and I knew she would talk to me but I just let her sleep. She slept the whole night and then in the morning she finally said, ‘Mom something happened yesterday,’” said Ashanti Flores, Yanez’s mom.

Yanez shared the story with her mother while she was driving her to school. Flores went to the CV Sheriff’s Station to report the incident hoping that they could help find the driver. The deputy she spoke with said too much time had passed since the incident and Flores did not file an official report. Flores and CVW have reached out to businesses to see if there is any surveillance footage in the hope of finding the driver of the vehicle; however, there does not seem to be any camera footage that covered that particular crosswalk.

“I am shocked, scared and proud of her all at the same time. She didn’t think about herself. Her instincts just took over and she protected that little girl,” Flores said. “But now that I think about it and think of all the things that could’ve happened I’m a little scared.”

Flores said her daughter might not have gotten to the toddler in time, or the car could have hit both the toddler and her daughter. For now, though, she is trying to put those “what if” fears aside and focus on how proud she is of her daughter’s selfless act.

“I always called her my angel and there’s a reason for that,” she added.

For Yanez, the attention she is receiving about what she feels is a natural response is a little overwhelming. She is concerned the little girl ran past so many people and no one seemed to notice. She said people seemed to be in their own world, including the driver of the SUV who never once looked up from her phone.

“We are very proud of Ailani at Rosemont, partially for her bravery and partially for her humility,” said Rosemont Principal Scott Anderle.

Distracted driving is a growing concern. Though this incident avoided a tragedy, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,166 lives in 2017 alone.”

The NHTSA encourages teenagers like Yanez to speak up when they see friends, family or anyone driving distractedly.

“That young lady is a hero in our eyes,” said Officer Ramirez, California Highway Patrol.

The number of distracted driving accidents may be higher than what statistics indicate because when law enforcement arrives at an accident it will typically ask those involved if they were on the phone or distracted in other ways. Many times the drivers say they were not distracted. Without witnesses, officers cannot assume the driver was distracted.

Ramirez said he has been to several events where he talked about distracted driving. Typical questions from attendees concern consequences of possible distracted driving in accidents.

“We always look for witnesses,” he said.

But not all accidents have witnesses.

Ramirez reminds drivers that they can be cited if they are holding a cellphone in their hand while driving. It is permissible to have a phone mounted below the dash or at the lower left lower right side of the windshield. Drivers are permitted to swipe their cellphones – for example to answer a call; however, if they are seen swiping more than that or texting or dealing with emails, officers can cite drivers for distracted driving. Ear buds are allowed while driving but they can only be in one ear. Drivers who are under the age of 18 are not allowed to use any electronic devices while driving.

Yanez is aware of the sometimes negative perception of the Rosemont students  at the Ralph’s market parking lot after school and she hopes that her actions will shine a positive light on her school and her fellow classmates.

“And I want drivers to put down their phones,” she added.

  Mary Okeefe