A 15-year-old girl was hospitalized Monday morning with non-life-threatening injuries after a driver struck her while she was riding an electric bicycle near McLean High School. The crash happened in the crosswalk at Westmoreland Street and Clearview Drive, and the driver stayed at the scene and was cited for reckless driving.
Fairfax County police received a call about the crash at 7:44 a.m., according to FFXnow. The girl appears to have been riding in the crosswalk when she was hit, the outlet reported, though officers said an investigation into the full circumstances remained underway. As WJLA also reported, the adult male driver remained on scene and was cited for reckless driving as police continued looking into what led to the collision.
A Beacon Out of Service Since August
The eastern-side beacon at the crosswalk was knocked out when a vehicle crashed there on Aug. 25, the same FFXnow report noted, while the western-side beacon remained operational. A contractor for the Virginia Department of Transportation was scheduled to finish replacing the missing eastern-side beacon by Nov. 13 — nearly three months after it went down, and still weeks away at the time Monday's crash occurred.
It has not been established whether the disabled beacon played any role in Monday's crash, and police have not said so. What is clear is that the intersection has gone without one of its key pedestrian-safety features for an extended stretch during the fall semester, while students walk and bike to McLean High School.
Part of a Rough Fall for Student Commuters
Monday's crash adds to a string of incidents involving Fairfax County students hit while biking or scootering to school this fall. On Sept. 9, Fairfax County Public Schools confirmed that three students were struck by vehicles in separate crashes, according to NBC Washington. One of those crashes left a 13-year-old with minor injuries after he was hit while riding a bike at Toll House Road and Country Lane in the Annandale area; in another, an 11-year-old girl riding an e-scooter near Brookfield Elementary School in Chantilly managed to jump off before being hurt.
The station's report also noted that the county's superintendent had urged drivers to be especially vigilant before and after school hours, when students are most likely to be on the street. In response to the wave of crashes, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted on Sept. 15 to restore crossing-guard funding for the rest of the 2026-2027 school year, per the same FFXnow account.
County Says Trend Is Worsening
Fairfax County has acknowledged the broader problem on its own terms. The county states on its pedestrian and bicycle safety webpage that pedestrian- and bicycle-related fatalities and injuries continue to rise at an unacceptable rate, adding that it is committed to making changes aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating traffic-related deaths and injuries.
Fairfax County police have not released the names of the teen or the driver involved in Monday's crash, and the investigation into exactly how it unfolded remains open. For now, the intersection near McLean High School will continue operating with its western-side flashing beacon while the missing eastern-side beacon awaits replacement next month.
