Woman Dies After Being Struck by Bus
Pedestrian was crossing Rockville Pike as Ride On bus was making right turn.
A 63-year-old Rockville woman who was hit by a Ride On bus on Rockville Pike near Halpine Road has died from her injuries, Montgomery County Police reported early Saturday morning.
Jila Hamidieh, of the 200 block of Congressional Lane, had been taken to Suburban Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained there until her death, police said.
Detectives from the police Collision Reconstruction Unit are investigating the incident, which occurred about 5:57 p.m. Wednesday. The bus was in the westbound lanes of Halpine Road trying to make a right onto northbound Rockville Pike, a police press release said.
For reasons still under investigation, the bus struck Hamidieh who was crossing west in the northbound lanes of Rockville Pike, police said. The driver of the Ride On bus was identified as Fredy Oscar Velasquez, 58, of the 800 block of Harrington Road in Rockville, police said.
Anyone with information about this pedestrian collision is asked to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 301-840-2435. Callers may remain anonymous.
Here is Rockville Patch's earlier report.
Jerry
1:57 pm on Saturday, December 10, 2011
That intersection is the confluence of the Twinbrook Metro Stop, a Ride On bus terminal, and Congressional shopping mall. Rockville Pike is one of the busiest local arteries in Montgomery County. For these reasons, the intersection has been a prime candidate for a pedestrian bridge for a long time. How many more traffic deaths will it take until one is constructed? Meanwhile, the County continues to approve more commercial and high density residential construction along Rockville Pike, increasing the danger to pedestrians and bicyclists.
Theresa Defino
6:07 am on Monday, December 12, 2011
This is not a county road. I see pedestrians cross the pike unsafely several times a day, especially at this intersection. We need to know more about what happened.
GingerR
9:38 am on Sunday, December 18, 2011
My sympathies to all involved!
If you are on-foot on County roads in the dark you need to be defensive.
On the street it may seem like the street lights are illuminating so you can be seen, but from inside a bus or car it doesn't look that way. I've taken to carrying a blinking hazard light with me as I walk home from the Metro.