Police Chief: Pleasant Plains Crash Merits 'Serious Discussion' on Pedestrian Safety

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After a brother and sister were hit by a car Wednesday morning outside Pleasant Plains Elementary School, Baltimore County police are urging parents to review rules of the road with their children.

“This incident is an example [of] why parents need to have a serious discussion with their children about pedestrian safety,” Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

According to police, the children did not use a crosswalk.

The 7-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother were on their way to school Wednesday morning when the girl ran in front of a Nissan that was headed south on Pleasant Plains Road north of Hardwick Road, police said. The Nissan sedan was traveling slowly, according to police.

Since the girl was holding her 5-year-old brother’s hand, he fell to the ground with her, police said.

Both children had slight injuries and were taken to St. Joseph Medical Center for evaluation, according to police.

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The driver of the Nissan remained at the scene, and the cause of the 8:45 a.m. crash was determined to be pedestrian error, according to police, who said no charges would be filed.

“Today we were fortunate that the driver of the vehicle that hit the children was traveling slowly through the school zone,” Johnson said. “It could have been a tragedy.”

Johnson offered these safety tips:

• Walk across the road only when there’s a crossing guard present.
• No crossing guard? Only cross at a crosswalk.
• Obey pedestrian signals.
• Look both directions and do not cross until it is safe.
• Never cross the street outside a crosswalk when a crossing guard is nearby.

Related: Vehicle Hit Children Outside Pleasant Plains Elementary

Screenshot from ABC 2 News/YouTube.