Mass Casualty Hit-and-Run in Maryland Leaves at Least 11—Including Infants and Young Children—Hospitalized

Bladensburg, Md. — A suburban birthday-party celebration turned into a scene of trauma late Saturday evening when an apparently out-of-control vehicle struck a gathering just outside a residence in this Prince George’s County community, injuring at least 11 people, including an infant and several children. The driver fled on foot, and police have launched a hit-and-run investigation.

At approximately 10:14 p.m. on Oct. 18, officers from the Bladensburg Police Department were dispatched to the 4100 block of 56th Avenue for a motor-vehicle collision that resulted in “numerous injuries,” the department said in a press release. According to the release, a vehicle believed to have traveled from the vicinity of Annapolis Road struck a group of individuals who were gathered in front of a residence for a child’s birthday party.

The pres­s release states that 11 people were transported to local hospitals — among them, three to Capital Regional Medical Center, one to Howard University Hospital and seven children to Children’s Hospital. One juvenile female and an infant female were listed in critical condition. Four juvenile males and three juvenile females were transported in non-life-threatening condition, according to the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

The injured children ranged in age from 2 to 9. The driver fled the scene on foot, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation, the police said.

While the press release did not mention a tent, several news outlets quoted fire-rescue sources saying the collision involved a vehicle driving into a tent erected for the party.

Annapolis Road from 57th Avenue to Landover Road was shut down during the investigation, the police said, and assistance from the Prince George’s County Police Department was called in. The department asked anyone with information to call their Criminal Investigations Division at 301-864-6080.

Officials say that at this point, the driver remains unidentified. The investigation is ongoing, and no official motive or speed estimate has been released.