ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Parents at an elementary school in Orange County want drivers to slow down and be aware after one hit a crossing guard working near their children's school. 

Friday's crash happened at the intersection of Chickasaw Trail and Suburban Drive at around 8:10 a.m. as students were walking to Hidden Oaks Elementary School. 

The crossing guard was hit when a 2012 Chevy pickup truck tried to turn right onto Chickasaw Trail from Suburban Drive. 

The driver, 57-year-old Joel Garriga, was ticketed for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crossing guard, 78-year-old Margarita Martinez, suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Florida Hospital East.

Hidden Oaks parent Jessica Vargas says she is thankful her daughter does not have to walk to school after learning about the crash. She says that crossing guard really cared about the kids.

"We see her all the time. She's really sweet," Vargas said.

Vargas says she sees people not paying attention and speeding through school zones daily. 

"I see it all the time, they just blow right past it and I literally honk my horn to let them know they need to slow down but they don't care," Vargas said.

However, this crash is just one of three that have happened in the last two weeks. 

One crossing guard was pinned under a car in Winter Garden. A week later, she is still in critical condition.

"If you're on your phone, or you're listening to music, or you look back and are talking to your kids, I mean you could hit them without even knowing it," Vargas said.

The Orlando/Kissimmee metro area was actually ranked the worst for pedestrian safety in the entire country by the 2019 Dangerous by Design study.

Vargas says if drivers do not start paying more attention, it is only a matter of time before a child is hit in the crosswalk. 

"I mean you hit them and you never know what can happen you could kill them instantly," Vargas said.

Now this year it became the law to not hold a phone while driving through a school zone. 

However, there are at least four bills in the Florida legislature right now that all have to do with increasing safety for pedestrians.