Eleven people, including an infant and eight other children, were seriously injured Saturday night when a car crashed into a tent during a children’s birthday party in a residential neighborhood near Washington, DC.
The crash happened around 10:15 p.m. in the 4100 block of 56th Avenue in Bladensburg, Maryland, just a few miles northeast of the nation’s capital.
Children among the seriously injured
According to Prince George’s County Fire/EMS, two of the victims — an infant and a female juvenile — were taken in critical condition. Two adult women and seven other children suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Authorities said the victims, who ranged in age from two to nine, were gathered outside the home when the vehicle crashed into the tent. “A vehicle traveling from the area of Annapolis Road struck several individuals who had gathered outside a home for a child’s birthday party,” The Bladensburg Police Department said in a statement.
The victims were taken to several hospitals
The injured were taken to several hospitals, including Capital Regional Medical Center, Howard University Hospital and Children’s National Hospital.
The driver fled the scene on foot
The driver fled the scene on foot and has not yet been identified. Police said the cause of the collision is under investigation. Annapolis Road, between 57th Avenue and Landover Road, was closed overnight as authorities processed the scene.
An investigation is underway
The investigation is being conducted by Bladensburg Police with assistance from Prince George’s County Police. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact the Bladensburg Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 301-864-6080.
