STOKESDALE, N.C. — The Stokesdale Elementary community is rallying around a kindergarten student who was hit by a car while boarding the school bus this week.
The school PTO created a GoFundMe page for 6-year-old Jaxson Franklin.
The child attends Stokesdale Elementary School in northwest Guilford County.
Highway Patrol said Franklin is still in critical, but stable, condition at Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem.
Doctors gave his family a "positive outlook" regarding his injuries.
Troopers said James Christman ignored the school bus stop arm and flashing red lights when he hit Jaxson on Thursday around 6:45 a.m.
Neighbors living in the area told WFMY News 2 that reckless driving and speeding are a big concern.
Our camera even caught cars illegally passing where the speed limit is only 35 miles per hour.
Megan Barton said she's reached out to NCDOT and law enforcement multiple times to try to make the road safer, especially for children.
"We've actually even called the sheriff's office before and when we call they will send someone out but they have also told us that 'we can't spend all of our time sitting in front of your house,' which I understand but we don't want to see stuff like this continue to happen," said Barton.
Robin Vaughan drove a school bus for more than two decades.
She said she would pray at each bus stop, just hoping other drivers were paying attention.
Vaughan said incidents like the one that sent Franklin to the hospital are a bus driver's worst nightmare.
"My prayers are with that young man and his family and for the bus driver. That's what I commented on Facebook and that bus driver saw that happen and I know that it terrified them," said Vaughan.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the man who hit Franklin was facing two misdemeanor traffic charges.
However, due to the seriousness of the accident, other felony charges are likely.