Montgomery County Police have charged a Bethesda woman for hitting a 10-year-old girl biking in a Tuckerman Lane crosswalk on Friday.
Irina Tsyrlova, a 63-year-old resident of the 6300 block of Swords Way, was charged with passing a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk, 2nd District Commander Capt. David Falcinelli said.
According to reports, Tsyrlova remained on scene, sobbing on the curb after hitting the girl, who was biking in a crosswalk at Kings Riding Way. The girl was taken to a local hospital with what were reported as life threatening injuries.
Falcinelli said the girl was released from the hospital on Sunday.
According to the driver who stopped at the crosswalk, Tsyrlova drove around him and hit the girl, dragging her along the road.
The crosswalk is part of the Bethesda Trolley Trail, which extends from downtown Bethesda to Woodglen Drive in North Bethesda.
Ken Hartman, director of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, wrote in a weekly email that new flashing lights are currently under construction at the crosswalk, but not yet operational.
“We remind all drivers to approach crosswalks with caution. No one wants to be the cause of another’s tragedy,” Hartman wrote. “When cars are stopped at a crosswalk ahead or the next lane over, there is abundant reason to slow down and proceed with extreme caution.”
