Family of Jogger Killed By School Bus Makes Desperate Plea for Witnesses

Desperate for answers, the family of a jogger struck and killed by a school bus in Rockville is asking witnesses to tell police what they saw.

“I’m not saying it’s impossible that he ran out in front of the bus,” said Ryan Estabrook, 37, who lives near Montgomery Village. “I’m just saying there might be more than that.” 

Ryan Estabrook is the brother of Jason Alexander Estabrook, 42, of Point of Rocks, who died May 27 from injuries he suffered May 21. During a jog that afternoon Jason Estabrook was hit by a Montgomery County school bus travelling east on Darnestown Road at Shady Grove Road.

. A Montgomery County Public Schools spokesman said there were no students on the bus.

Ryan Estabrook claims police told the family the bus driver was not at fault because Estabrook ran across the street while the light was green.

Montgomery County police did not immediately respond to Patch’s inquiry about Estabrook’s claim.

Estabrook is urging any witness to come forward and tell police what they saw. Days after the crash, he posted a homemade sign at Darnestown and Shady Grove Roads: 

“8 YEAR OLD LOST HIS DADDY!?! If you witnessed the bus hitting the pedestrian last Tuesday, May 21st at 2:30, PLEASE CALL 301-956-5959”

According to his brother, Jason Estabrook parked his car at his son’s school and planned to go for a 6- to 8-mile run, returning by the time his son’s school let out—as he had done many, many times before.

Instead, Ryan Estabrook said he got a strange call.

“The person asked if I knew anyone with a tattoo on his arm—a white man—and said that he had been hit by a car while he was running,” Estabrook said. “They said he had my number. I knew immediately who it was.”

Jason Estabrook was in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital. He was unable to talk to family members.

“I finally had the time to sit by his bed and tell him how much he meant to me,” Ryan Estabrook said. “I could see tears coming out of his eyes. Three times he cried. It was pretty clear he could hear me. That was huge.”

A memorial service for Jason Estabrook is Friday. He leaves behind his wife Victoria Estabrook and his 8-year-old son Julian. He had one brother—Ryan—and three sisters, according to an obituary in The Frederick-News Post.