Girls, Father Hospitalized After Being Hit By Car In DC On 'Walk To School Day'

WASHINGTON, DC — Two girls, ages 6 and 8, and their father were injured when they were struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning in Southeast D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The father was walking with his daughters to school, according to reports. Wednesday was “Walk to School Day,” an event held by schools across the nation the first Wednesday in October. The event emphasizes safety for students while walking to school.

At about 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, D.C. police officers went to Wheeler Road and Mississippi Avenue SE in response to the incident. The two girls and their father were all transported to a local hospital, the police said.

One girl suffered serious injuries, while the injuries to the other girl and the father were non-life-threatening, the Washington Post reported.

The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene, according to the MPD. The department's Major Crash Unit is still investigating the incident.

“This is tragic and heartbreaking, today especially so because it is Walk to School Day — a day meant to highlight the importance safe travel to school and is a call for safer streets,” Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh wrote in a tweet Wednesday.

Cheh serves as the chair of the DC Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

The incident comes about three weeks after a 5-year-girl was killed in an accident while riding her bicycle in the Brookland area of Northeast D.C. The girl, Allison Hart, was struck and killed by a van at an intersection.

As the driver pulled off from the stop sign in the Sept. 13 incident, the van struck Allison. The driver immediately came to a stop and remained on the scene, the police said.

RELATED: Fundraiser Held For Family Of DC Girl Who Died In Bike Accident