GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Two people died Tuesday morning after being hit by a car in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Gaithersburg City Police Department officers responded to School Road near Muddy Branch Road around 7:20 a.m. for the report of a crash. When officers arrived, they found two people injured. The two pedestrians, a 70-year-old woman and a 65-year-old man, were taken to the hospital with critical injuries. A few hours later, authorities said that both had died.
The driver of the striking vehicle remained at the scene of the crash, which happened near a polling place on Election Day. Polls opened in Maryland at 7 a.m.
School Drive was closed from Muddy Branch Road to Story Drive as a result of the crash. Roads have since reopened. The Fields Road Elementary School polling place remained open on Election Day following the crash.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and the people killed have not yet been identified by police. But detectives have confirmed they're investigating to determine whether alcohol was involved.
“It makes me feel terrible. It's horrific. I mean, just think those two people left home this morning and they didn't come back. I just feel for their families,” Ronald Hayden said.
Hayden has lived in the area for more than 20 years. While the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, he said he wouldn't be surprised if speed was a factor.
“I think people drive too fast right through here and when you go towards Muddy Branch to the supermarket; too fast,” Hayden said.