Blair junior hit by SUV

A Blair junior was airlifted to Suburban Hospital after being struck by an SUV on the morning of September 23. The student, Bezawit Bayou, was leaving school following a power outage that closed Blair.

Bayou was in stable condition as of 5 PM on Tuesday, September 23, with her injuries not considered to be life-threatening.

Dorothy McCollum, Assistant Principal of Oakland Terrace Elementary School in Silver Spring, witnessed the accident. According to McCollum, Bayou had just gotten off a bus and was proceeding to cross the street, but did not look at the correct side of traffic before crossing. McCollum also said that Bayou was not at a crosswalk.

Bayou was hit by a Toyota RAV4 SUV after running into the street. McCollum said that Bayou "drifted in and out of consciousness" before being airlifted away from the scene approximately seven minutes later.

Principal Phillip Gainous passed by the accident on his way to school and said he saw several students playing in the traffic. "They would jump out into the street and see how close the cars would come to them," he said. "That is insane."

Gainous urged students to use caution when crossing the busy roads near Blair. "Students should use crosswalks and look both ways before crossing the street," he said.

Bayou was hit at the intersection of University Boulevard and Glenville Road. The incident caused major traffic problems, as University Boulevard was closed on both sides.

Reporting by Chris Mulligan and Terry Li