MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Editor's note: The above video is from August 2021.
A 7-year-old girl was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was hit by a car while getting off of a school bus in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Police officers were called to the scene in the 18600 block of Walkers Choice Road in Montgomery Village for a report of a pedestrian struck by a car just before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
A preliminary investigation found that at the time a Montgomery County Public Schools bus was stopped and dropping off students. The bus had its red flashing lights activated.
According to police, the driver drove around the bus and hit the 7-year-old girl who was trying to cross the street. The girl was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.
Police say the driver of the striking vehicle stayed on scene.
It's not clear if the driver will face any charges in the crash. In Maryland, there is a fine of $250 for illegally passing a school bus.
Last year, we spoke to a bus driver in Fairfax County who said he noticed a lot of drivers ignoring school buses.
“We get a lot of parents or a lot of people who are standing there with their kids,” said Rocha. “We’ll turn our reds on, they’ll start across and cars start flying by us, they go around us. They don’t stop fully,” Fairfax Co. bus driver Nicholas Rocha said.
“A lot of drivers out there need to realize that you need to stop for our stop signs,” said Rocha. “Otherwise, you never know — there could be a kid walking out in the front.”