Maryland hit-and-run: Car crashes into tent at children's birthday party, infant among 11 injured; driver flees scene

Eleven people, including an infant and eight other children, were seriously injured on Saturday night when a car crashed into a tent during a child’s birthday party in a residential neighborhood near Washington, D.C.

The crash occurred around 10:15 p.m. in the 4100 block of 56th Avenue in Bladensburg, Maryland, just a few miles northeast of the nation’s capital.

Children among the seriously hurt

According to the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department, two of the victims — an infant and a juvenile female — were transported in critical condition. Two adult women and seven other children sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities said the victims, ranging in age from two to nine years old, were gathered in front of a home when the vehicle struck the tent. “A vehicle that traveled from the area of Annapolis Road struck several individuals that were gathered in front of a residence for a child’s birthday party,” the Bladensburg Police Department said in a statement.

Victims taken to multiple hospitals

The injured were taken to multiple hospitals, including Capital Regional Medical Center, Howard University Hospital, and Children’s National Hospital.

Driver fled scene on foot

The driver fled the scene on foot and has not yet been identified. Police said the cause of the collision remains under investigation. Annapolis Road, between 57th Avenue and Landover Road, was closed overnight as authorities processed the scene.

Investigation underway

Bladensburg Police are leading the investigation, with assistance from Prince George’s County Police. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact the Bladensburg Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 301-864-6080.