9-year-old seriously injured after driver fails to stop for MCPS school bus, police say

Crash happened Tuesday afternoon on Walkers Choice Road in Gaithersburg

August 31, 2022 6:28 p.m.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. Sept. 2, 2022, to reflect that Montgomery County police have confirmed that the student is 9 years old and not 7 as previously stated by police.

A 9-year-old girl was seriously injured while getting off her school bus Tuesday when a driver did not obey the vehicle’s stop signals, according to Montgomery County police.

The crash happened at about 3:53 p.m. in the 18600 block of Walkers Choice Road in Montgomery Village, according to a statement from police.

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The Montgomery County Public Schools bus was stopped to drop off students with its red flashing lights on and its stop arm extended, police said. A driver drove around the bus and hit the 7-year-old as she crossed the street after getting off the bus. The girl had serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital, police said.

The driver remained at the scene. Police declined to release information about the driver because the investigation is ongoing. No other information was available.

It is illegal to pass a school bus from either direction when its lights activated and stop sign displayed. If there is a median in the roadway and the driver is traveling in the opposite direction, it may pass without stopping, according to Maryland law.

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