Woman Struck by Vehicle on Fairland Road

The second pedestrian accident in as many days closed Fairland Road in Montgomery County this morning.

Montgomery County officials said a woman was struck by a vehicle about 3:30 a.m. in a hit-and-run collision. The woman was taken to a hospital with what were described as serious injuries.

The accident took place on Fairland Road near East Randolph Road, and Fairland was closed for part of the morning as officials investigated.

On Monday, a pedestrian died on Fairland after being struck by a vehicle.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) passed the accident scene on his way to make an announcement about pedestrian safety yesterday.

The woman's death is a reminder that the "issue is very, very real," a spokesman for Leggett said.

The 29-year-old victim was struck and killed shortly before 8 a.m. while crossing Fairland north of White Oak, county police said. They said Flavia D'Cunha of Silver Spring tried to cross in the 1900 block, where there is no marked crosswalk.

Leggett's spokesman, Patrick Lacefield, said the county executive passed the scene on his way from his home to a news conference in Wheaton.

"He got out of his car" and "saw the victim," Lacefield said.

At his news conference, Leggett said he would allocate $4.8 million from speed camera revenue for a year of the pedestrian safety initiative he unveiled in December.

Last week, at another announcement about the pedestrian initiative, people jaywalked behind Leggett and other speakers.

Pedestrian safety is a "huge issue," said Montgomery County Council member Valerie Ervin (D-Silver Spring).

The impact of yesterday's death was evident at the news conference in Wheaton, Lacefield said.

Leggett "was very affected by" it, Lacefield said. "We all talk about these issues, but when we encounter them face to face, it drives home the need a lot more strongly."