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Car crashes onto DC elementary school steps, pushing neighbors to call for changes to Michigan Avenue

One neighbor who lives on Michigan Avenue in Northeast, says about once a year, a car crashes into her front yard.

WASHINGTON — A car crashed onto the steps of Bunker Hill Elementary School Friday, prompting D.C. neighbors to again raise the alarm about the dangers of Michigan Avenue, Northeast.

D.C. Police said at approximately 5:50 p.m. Friday, two cars collided, which propelled on of them onto its side. Video from D.C. Fire and EMS shows that the car landed on the steps of the school, trapping a woman inside.

D.C. Fire and EMS said they were able to extricate her safely, and police said both drivers sustained non-life threatening injuries.

“It was loud ... it almost shook the house," said Brittany, who lives across the street from the school.

Brittany says this is just the latest crash in a scary trend on Michigan Avenue -- regular crashes that sometimes end up in their front yards.

RELATED: Cyclist dies after being struck by Children's National Hospital shuttle, officials say

“It's scary how fast people go," Brittany said. "And it's like every single time it rains, either someone's in our yard or the elementary school's yard or a neighbor's yard.”

She shared a picture of one SUV that she said plowed through her fence and landed in her yard in 2016. She said since then, multiple cars have crashed onto her grass or into the trees in front of their house.

Brittany is still picking up car parts in her yard among the trees, grass, and patio chairs.

Four blocks over at the corner of 10th Street, Northeast, and Michigan Avenue, Northeast, a cyclist was hit and killed by a Children's National Shuttle in March.

RELATED: This new map pinpoints crash data by block and street in DC

Credit: Brittany
A neighbor on Michigan Ave. NE said this SUV crashed into her yard in 2016.

An Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner aggregated D.C. crash data from January 2015 to April 2021, and it shows that Michigan Avenue, Northeast, has seen at least 602 crashes in that time span.

“You feel helpless in these situations to the point where I don't want my daughter in the backyard," Brittany said. "I'm worried about my husband mowing the lawn.”

Brittany's ANC, Colleen Costello, penned a letter to DDOT in March, requesting updates like improved pedestrian visibility, signal timing, and bicycle facilities. 

She said DDOT has since committed to improvements to the 12th and 13th Street blocks but not yet 14th Street.

“I want to feel safe because this is a great neighborhood," Brittany said. "And I just want to make it known that something really needs to be done or it's just gonna keep happening.”

A DDOT spokesperson said they are committed to working with the community to make Michigan Avenue and this corridor safer, but they need everyone to slow down when they're driving.

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