Table of Contents
A driver on a learner's permit hit a 9-year-old girl with a vehicle in a Del Ray crosswalk Friday evening, and the child was transported to a hospital as a precaution, Alexandria police told The Alexandria Brief.
The driver, accompanied by a licensed driver as required for permit holders, remained on the scene and was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
The collision occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. at Mt. Vernon Avenue and Kennedy Street, according to APD. The driver was traveling northbound on Mt. Vernon Avenue and turning left onto Kennedy Street when she hit the child with her vehicle. The girl was crossing in the marked crosswalk. Police said she did not appear to have sustained serious injuries.
Friday’s crash is the latest in a string of pedestrian collisions in Alexandria. April included the death of a 62-year-old woman hit by a driver on N. St. Asaph Street and a child hit by a driver near William Ramsay Elementary School. Mt. Vernon Avenue was also the site of an April 4 crosswalk crash at East Braddock Road, in which the driver was cited.
Hours after Friday’s crash, the Alexandria Police Department posted on social media that it is "conducting focused enforcement to improve safety and ensure compliance" with crosswalk laws, telling drivers that yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks "is the law, and it's your responsibility."
The post did not specify whether the enforcement effort was prompted by Friday’s incident or by the broader April pattern.
In a statement to The Alexandria Brief on April 23, APD communications manager Tracy Walker said drivers should slow down and remain alert in areas with high foot traffic, be prepared to stop at crosswalks and yield to pedestrians, avoid distractions, and watch carefully for people entering or already in the roadway. Walker said pedestrians should use marked crosswalks and follow pedestrian signals where available, make themselves as visible as possible, limit distractions, and try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing.
The Alexandria Brief
Alexandria, Va., news and information you won't find anywhere else.
The Alexandria Brief has no ads, no paywall, and no corporate owner. It's just me - Ryan Belmore, a journalist and Alexandria resident — covering the city I live in, funded entirely by neighbors like you. Support this work with a monthly, annual, or one-time contribution.
Send feedback, story ideas, news, and tips to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
Subscribe | Support | About | Contact | Submit News | Standards & Policies
