Officers from the New Castle County Police Department lined up outside Marbrook Elementary School this week, greeting students and walking them across Centerville Road as part of National Walk to School Day. The gesture carried extra weight in this stretch of Delaware, where a 10-year-old boy named James Messick was killed while walking home from the same school.
Messick was walking home from school on May 6 when, police said, a 17-year-old driver lost control and struck him and a 12-year-old friend near the intersection of Centerville and Faulkland roads, according to CBS News Philadelphia. The SUV had been heading west on Faulkland Road toward Centreville Road when it crossed the double-yellow line into the opposite lane before striking both children, who were standing on the sidewalk, as reported by Delaware Online. Messick's 12-year-old friend was treated for injuries, but Messick died at the hospital.
A Visible Police Presence Returns to the Crosswalk
During this week's Walk to School Day event, students met Zander and Seahawk, horses with the New Castle County Police Mounted Unit, while officers helped children cross Centerville Road on their way into Marbrook Elementary, which sits in New Castle County. Police have said the crash location is considered a speeding problem area, and the department's traffic services unit has been out several times since the crash addressing the ongoing speeding concerns, per the same CBS News Philadelphia account. New Castle County Police have also increased officer patrols near the school since the crash and have issued traffic tickets near the crash location.
Mark Jaggers said the police presence helps children know whom they can trust, while Jennifer Halliday said it helps keep children safe and demonstrates a strong community presence. Richard Chambers said police are enforcing traffic laws to make school travel safer for children and pedestrians. Police have said they will continue to maintain a visible presence near the school and to build relationships with students.
DelDOT's Signage and Review Work at the Intersection
DelDOT performed a safety review of the intersection after the crash, and officials added signs warning drivers that children are walking in the area along with signs displaying the posted speed limit, according to the CBS News Philadelphia report. A memorial now sits near the Centerville and Faulkland roads intersection, a quiet marker along a road neighbors say drivers constantly speed through — the same report noted that CBS News Philadelphia cameras recorded a car running a red light there, and that three other cars on Centerville Road have also been hit within the past five years.
The intersection's problems were flagged well before Messick's death. Back in April 2019, Marbrook Elementary School was evaluated as part of a school zone compliance review to update the signage and striping, according to the Brookland Terrace Civic Club, with DelDOT Traffic saying it would observe and count traffic during school start and dismissal periods to evaluate possible turn restrictions at Centerville Road, Rhode Island Avenue and the Marbrook Elementary entrance.
Part of a Statewide Pedestrian Safety Push
The Messick case reflects a broader challenge DelDOT has acknowledged across Delaware. The state has averaged 355 crashes per year involving at least one pedestrian, nearly one per day, according to a release from the Delaware Department of Transportation. The agency has said that higher vehicle speeds can be a contributing factor in many crashes and has named roadway-user safety its top priority, and its Pedestrian Action Plan lays out strategies for building safe, accessible and connected transportation facilities statewide.
The risks to pedestrians in New Castle County have not disappeared. The Delaware State Police was investigating a separate fatal pedestrian crash that occurred in New Castle on September 17, 2026. For now, the morning routine outside Marbrook Elementary looks a little different than it did before May 2024 — officers on foot, horses at the crosswalk, and a steady reminder near the spot where James Messick once walked home from school.
