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Car crashes into Takoma Park bus stop shelter, killing 71-year-old woman
Montgomery County police are trying to put together the pieces of a violent car crash that left a 71-year-old woman dead at a Montgomery County bus stop. FOX 5's Homa Bas reports from Takoma Park with the details.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Montgomery County police are trying to put together the pieces of a violent car crash that left a 71-year-old woman dead.
The crash happened around 12 a.m. Monday, right off New Hampshire Avenue near Glenside Drive in Takoma Park.
Caution tape still surrounds the area.
Investigators said a Nissan Pathfinder was heading south when it went off the road, slammed through a bus stop shelter, and landed in a wooded area.
The driver stayed at the scene and when officers got there, they found 71-year-old Christina Thomas dead.
Police said they are still investigating exactly what happened and have few details to release at this time. They don't know if Thomas was at the bus stop or elsewhere when she was hit.
And they also don't know why the driver left the road or if impairment was a factor.
Thomas' family doesn't live in the area but spoke to FOX 5 over the phone, saying they haven't received much information from police about how she was killed or if charges may be filed against the driver.
"There's actually been a bunch of crashes near New Hampshire, that whole area," said Peter Gray, the co-chair of Montgomery County Families for Safe Streets.
Gray placed flowers and a sign where Thomas died as a reminder to everyone. The sign reads, "A pedestrian was killed here."
Gray said they focus not just on driver, biker, and pedestrian behaviors, but on how our roads are engineered with wider lanes and higher speed limits – allowing people to drive dangerously.
"If somebody is hit by a car and they're going 40 mph, it's pretty certain they're going to get killed. So lowering the speed limit, even 5 miles an hour, is going to be effective in saving people's lives," Gray said.
Pedestrian deaths up 77% over the last decade, study says
According to the latest report from the Governor's Highway Safety Association, there has been a 77% rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. over the past decade.
A recent study by the Governors Highway Safety Association reveals this is the most dangerous time to be a pedestrian - with a 77% spike in pedestrian deaths over the last decade.
A variety of factors play into it: impaired driving, distracted driving, and sheer recklessness following the pandemic.
"We have this idea that we should be able to get to where we want to go as fast as possible and people are in a rush and both those things combine to make a lot of dangerous situations happen," Gray said.