Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 12:40     Subject: Re:Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Did you know that according to DC Law any midblock crossing where there is a stop sign is to be treated as a crosswalk even if it isn't marked? I know this because I live one block from an ES and we tried to have a crosswalk put down. DDOT told us it was a legal crossing even if it wasn't marked. Who cares if a kid gets hit or killed, the crossing was legal so their job was done I guess???!!! Funniest part was the reason they claimed they couldn't put down crosswalk was that there wasn't an ADA curb ramp so they couldn't put down the paint. Vision Zero my a**.

One block from an ES. One block from where a little girl was killed in a similar unmarked midblock crossing a few years earlier.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 11:19     Subject: Re:Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:Can someone share where this incident occurred? Thanks



It occurred at 16th Street & Myrtle St. This was my biggest fear when my kids went to Deal. They were only allowed to cross 16th at intersections with traffic lights. Even with that rule, my kid was almost hit one morning when a car jumped the curb trying to pass another car in front of a Deal/JR bus stop.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 11:18     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:I was driving down Mass Ave in Bethesda and was going the speed limit. There was a boy walking on the sidewalk and suddenly he just turned and ran into the street right in front of my car. There was no crosswalk, it wasn’t at a corner. He just decided to cross in the middle of a long block, launched himself off the sidewalk, and ran in front of my car. I braked HARD and swerved HARD, but I still hit him. He turned out to be ok in the end, very fortunately, but it could have been very different. When his mom was called and told what happened, she said, “I TOLD him not to do that.” So sometimes parents and drivers will do everything right but accidents will still happen.


I agree! But because you were driving the speed limit and paying attention, the kid wasn’t badly hurt. And I’m assuming you’re the sort of responsible driver who pays attention to and slows down for crosswalks. So most likely you aren’t the sort of driver who would have hit the Deal student, who, again, was in a crosswalk.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 11:12     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Parents need to remind their kids that they should not wear headphones while walking. It's a huge safety hazard. They also shouldn't walk while looking down at their phones.


This was a kid walking in a crosswalk. The car closest to the curb stopped to let her pass, and the car in the left lane did not slow down to see if anyone was coming and hit a kid.

It's not the kid's fault for jumping into traffic. It's not the kid's fault for wearing headphones. It's not parents' faults for not training their kids.

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE DRIVER DRIVING TERRIBLY AND HITTING A CHILD WHO HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. Stop trying to make it anything else. You people are deeply disgusting.


Yup, people really are brainwashed on this topic. I have a family member who was hit by a car while in a crosswalk recently—a crosswalk where multiple others walkers/cyclists have been hit and seriously injured (not in DC)—and even they were making excuses for the driver and why it’s just really hard for drivers to drive more slowly/carefully on this busy road.


So... many intersections in DC are actually poorly designed. That doesn't make it not the driver's fault, but if we know it's systemically an issue, we should be making systemic changes. For instance, additional raised crosswalks in busy areas/near schools; there is tons of evidence that they decrease accidents by decreasing speed and improving sight lines. Drivers hate them and I don't care.


I’m the PP, and I agree 100%. The reason these changes don’t happen, though, is that drivers absolutely freak out and prevent/weaken them. Look at the proposals for Connecticut Ave, to make it more bike and pedestrian friendly. People are absolutely losing their minds because there will be fewer parking spaces on Conn Ave. They have organized and are absolutely vociferous.

Drivers will not give a single inch. So we are left begging them to take some measure of responsibility for their driving and pedestrian safety. And this thread is clear evidence of how that goes.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 11:07     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Parents need to remind their kids that they should not wear headphones while walking. It's a huge safety hazard. They also shouldn't walk while looking down at their phones.


This was a kid walking in a crosswalk. The car closest to the curb stopped to let her pass, and the car in the left lane did not slow down to see if anyone was coming and hit a kid.

It's not the kid's fault for jumping into traffic. It's not the kid's fault for wearing headphones. It's not parents' faults for not training their kids.

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE DRIVER DRIVING TERRIBLY AND HITTING A CHILD WHO HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. Stop trying to make it anything else. You people are deeply disgusting.


Yup, people really are brainwashed on this topic. I have a family member who was hit by a car while in a crosswalk recently—a crosswalk where multiple others walkers/cyclists have been hit and seriously injured (not in DC)—and even they were making excuses for the driver and why it’s just really hard for drivers to drive more slowly/carefully on this busy road.


Because obviously it is hard or so many people wouldn’t have been hit! I don’t understand why it is so important for people to not take 15 seconds and see if a car is coming before crossing the street even if it is your right. It is your right to walk through a dangerous neighborhood at night but if you know there is a danger to your life if you do, why would you do it?


This is the brainwashing I’m talking about. Good lord. Why is it so important for people to speed at 45 miles an hour on a road they drive every day and KNOW has a crosswalk rather than slow down as they are approaching the crosswalk? The person I know who was hit did look before crossing; he judged the distance from the approaching car as sufficient to cross. But the driver was driving into the sun and assumed she could just speed along and not worry that someone was in the crosswalk. Had she been driving more slowly approaching the crosswalk, she would have had time to see him sooner and stop before hitting him.

And the comparison to crime is really something. Like, yes, people should be able to walk through “dangerous” neighborhoods at night. The vast majority of people who live in “dangerous” neighborhoods are not criminals. They should be allowed to live their lives. The person I know who got hit by a car lives near the dangerous crosswalk; he knows it’s dangerous, but does that mean he shouldn’t be able to use it? Why do we accept drivers breaking the law by disregarding the crosswalk?
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 09:20     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
I was driving down Mass Ave in Bethesda and was going the speed limit. There was a boy walking on the sidewalk and suddenly he just turned and ran into the street right in front of my car. There was no crosswalk, it wasn’t at a corner. He just decided to cross in the middle of a long block, launched himself off the sidewalk, and ran in front of my car. I braked HARD and swerved HARD, but I still hit him. He turned out to be ok in the end, very fortunately, but it could have been very different. When his mom was called and told what happened, she said, “I TOLD him not to do that.” So sometimes parents and drivers will do everything right but accidents will still happen.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 09:15     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Did they catch who did it or was it a hit and run?
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 09:11     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:I heard that the girl who got hit by the car is alive but with a lot of broken bones.


Yikes!
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 09:07     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
The only practical solution is for people to carry guns or grenades and shoot at any driver within range.

It's the only way drivers will learn to keep a safe distance from pedestrians.
Anonymous
Post 12/02/2023 08:45     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
I heard that the girl who got hit by the car is alive but with a lot of broken bones.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2023 20:10     Subject: Re:Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:17 year old shot outside KIPP. Haven't seen that covered either. But by all means let's focus on what matters.


wtf? a child got hit by a car. that’s a serious injury. car crashes and guns are almost equal as cause of pediatric death nationally.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2023 19:21     Subject: Re:Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
17 year old shot outside KIPP. Haven't seen that covered either. But by all means let's focus on what matters.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2023 18:28     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
dang yall parents need to chill out
or I will tell Ms Neal on you guys
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2023 16:34     Subject: Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Parents need to remind their kids that they should not wear headphones while walking. It's a huge safety hazard. They also shouldn't walk while looking down at their phones.


This was a kid walking in a crosswalk. The car closest to the curb stopped to let her pass, and the car in the left lane did not slow down to see if anyone was coming and hit a kid.

It's not the kid's fault for jumping into traffic. It's not the kid's fault for wearing headphones. It's not parents' faults for not training their kids.

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE DRIVER DRIVING TERRIBLY AND HITTING A CHILD WHO HAD THE RIGHT OF WAY. Stop trying to make it anything else. You people are deeply disgusting.


Oh no. Was this a crosswalk across 16th? And no stop sign? That’s a really dangerous type of crossing for exactly the scenario that happened here.
Anonymous
Post 12/01/2023 13:59     Subject: Re:Deal kid hit by car yesterday on way to school
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:There are drivers who make mistakes and student walkers that make mistakes.

I have no idea what happened in this case (as I was not there) but what is the post of posting about it if not to remind us all to be more vigilant?
I'm using it as a cautionary tale to slow down when I'm driving, especially around DC schools and will remind my kids to always be super vigilant when walking as they can never control who is driving and how.

Why does everything on DCUM have to become so hostile?
I guarantee all of us have made mistakes when driving and all of our kids have made mistakes when walking.
Some posters just need to settle down and chill the f^*K out.


NP, but part of my frustration with DC and driving is that DC is so horrifically bad about holding bad drivers accountable in any way.

Police generally don't ever pull people over for traffic infractions. If they do attempt to and the person runs, they generally can't pursue given concern the pursuit will lead to pedestrian injury/death.
So instead of using police, they use speed and red light cameras. They then do absolutely nothing to people who incur thousands of dollars of tickets. If those people live in VA or MD, there is no interstate reciprocity to hold them accountable.
Even if they do try to hold repeat offenders accountable and find their car to boot, if it's not immediately towed, the owner finds a way to get the boot off anyway (witnessed kids doing this on my own street, boot off shortly after booting)
Even people with repeat offenses like DUIs get a court conviction, or system is so abysmal that the DMV hasn't gotten proper notice to discontinue the license (see Rock Creek DUI case that killed 3 people).

The entire system means people can do whatever the heck they want and there will be no repercussions.


I have lived in DC for 25 years and have never seen nor heard about anyone getting stopped for a moving violation.

A couple of friends got ticketed one for jaywalking. Go figure.