A Bethesda fifth-grader is recovering from serious injuries after she was hit by a car Monday afternoon while riding her bicycle in a marked crosswalk.
Barbara Leister, principal of Wyngate Elementary School, wrote a letter to parents informing them of the incident.
It happened soon after the school let out at 3:25 p.m. Monday. Leister wrote that the student was reportedly riding in the marked crosswalk at Adelaide Drive and Bulls Run Parkway a block away from the school when the vehicle struck her.
“Police and paramedics were called immediately and the student was transported to the hospital,” Leister wrote. “While seriously injured, I have spoken with the family and the student is expected to make a full recovery. At this time, the police are investigating the accident.”
The Montgomery County police department didn’t immediately provide information on the incident when contacted Wednesday afternoon by Bethesda Beat.
The collision happened during a busy time of day for the crosswalk and surrounding intersections. On Wednesday, scores of kids—some with parents or older siblings—could be seen leaving school after classes ended at 3:25 p.m. and crossing Bulls Run Parkway until about 3:45 p.m.
There is no stop sign at the crosswalk, but drivers are required by law to yield to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing Bulls Run Parkway. Yellow warning signs on both sides of Bulls Run Parkway advise drivers of the crosswalk.
“It’s busy. I wouldn’t say it’s dangerous,” said Fritz Kass, a parent of two Wyngate students who was walking them home after school on Wednesday. “There’s no stop sign here, but if people stopped at the other stop signs along here, instead of rolling through them, it would be a whole lot better.”
In her letter, Leister asked parents to talk to their children about how to stay safe when near traffic.
“This incident, while unsettling, is an important reminder for us to talk with our children about pedestrian safety when walking or riding their bikes, even in a crosswalk,” she wrote.
