Mom of Germantown Teen Killed in Crash Joins Police in Pedestrian Safety Initiative

“We're seeing many, many more instances where pedestrians are not aware of their surroundings. That’s just an evolution of the issue with cell phones—they're taking over more and more of our attention,” said Montgomery County police's head of traffic.

Distracted pedestrians and drivers, listen up. Seneca Valley High, along with Montgomery County Police, want you to put down the cell phone, take the earbuds out and pay attention—or else. Beginning Tuesday, April 23, the school and the force will complete the second phase of a program developed to prevent pedestrian fatalities near the high school. Spurred by the death of Seneca Valley High sophomore Christina Morris-Ward, 15, who was struck by a car while crossing Germantown Road last October, school officials rallied public safety leaders to educate and enforce strategies to keep walkers safe. Last week, teachers and parents worked the streets to educate pedestrians and drivers about how common distractions—namely cell phones and all of…

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Montgomery County to Pedestrians and Drivers: Here's 'Looking At You'

New campaign uses Ride On buses to promote pedestrian safety.

William Linkens sees it all the time.  A pedestrian focused on a smart phone as they approach a busy street. “I see so many people come into the crosswalk—or maybe not even the crosswalk, just to cross the street—and their head never looks up,” said Linkens, a 12-year veteran driver of Montgomery County’s Ride On buses. Ride On is at the heart of a safety campaign that Montgomery County officials hope will prevent pedestrian fatalities on county roads. Two Ride On buses parked on East Montgomery Avenue in Rockville Town Center on Tuesday morning bore the campaign slogan, “Hey you, I’m looking at you!” above a pair of eyes. The eyes–two sets on two different versions of the bus-sized ads—belong to one current and one former student at …

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Transit Advocate: More is Needed to Make Germantown Road Safer

In light of the recent death of Germantown teen, Action Committee for Transit board member says speed cameras, signs and ‘culture change’ could help improve pedestrian safety

The vice president of a Montgomery County-based transit advocacy group says speed cameras and a change in “driver culture” were needed to improve pedestrian safety on Germantown Road, where a teen pedestrian was fatally struck by a car. "Lots of people say she was killed because she was careless—if she had waited for the walk signal, crossed in the cross walk and watched out for traffic, she would still be alive,” said Miriam Schoenbaum, who was speaking during a meeting of the Action Council for Transit on Tuesday in Silver Spring. “She was killed because our society believes the convenience of drivers is more important than the lives of pedestrians," Schoenbaum said. Germantown Road (MD 118) is a state-owned roadway that sweeps past …

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Transportation Advocacy Group To Discuss Death of Germantown Teen

Broader discussion of pedestrian safety in Montgomery County on the agenda for Action Committee for Transit’s meeting 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Silver Spring

The death of a Germantown teen who was struck by a car while walking to school Halloween morning will be part of a Montgomery County transit advocacy group’s broader discussion Tuesday about pedestrian safety. The Action Committee for Transit (ACT) is scheduled to meet 7:30 p.m. at the Department of Health and Human Services Silver Spring Center. Miriam Schoenbaum, ACT vice president, is expected to discuss the death of Christina Morris-Ward.  Morris-Ward, 15, of Germantown, was in the process of crossing Germantown Road when she was struck by a vehicle travelling north on a green signal. Police said she died at the hospital. Morris-Ward's school, Seneca Valley High School, is bordered by Middlebrook Road and Great Seneca Highway, two of …

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Deb Sullivan

11:08 am on Wednesday, November 14, 2012

The problem still is that when the light is green for students to cross, there are still cars turning on red (legally) and the width of the road means kids are running to beat the light. No child should be put in that danger. Seneca students on that side of town MUST cross Rt 118 (and some must cross Father Hurley) at one of three locations. It is a danger for all involved. Again...we need …   more ›

Remembering ‘Tina’

Seneca Valley students, Germantown community pay tribute to Christina Morris-Ward, teen who was struck, killed while walking to school.

Death is one of those things Seneca Valley student Ramatu Kembe doesn’t quite understand, especially the reason it had to come for her friend and fellow classmate, Christina Morris-Ward. "I miss her a lot and I wish she could be with me,” Kembe said. “But there's a lot of things that we don't understand, and death is one of them. I wish I could have just hugged her before she left, but I couldn't." Kembe was one of several to share memories of the late Christina Morris-Ward, 15, during a vigil outside Seneca Valley High School Monday night. Morris-Ward, a sophomore, was struck and killed by a car as she walked to school on Halloween morning. Amid the air of mourning and tears during the vigil was hope that the community would learn from …

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Today: 'Rocking for Tina' Vigil at Seneca Valley High School

A candlelight vigil at 5:30 p.m. tonight will honor the life of Christina Morris-Ward, a Seneca Valley High School sophomore who died last week.

Report: Germantown Teen’s Death Frames Discussion on Pedestrian Safety

Montgomery County Council members discussed pedestrian safety at joint-work session Thursday, The Gazette reports.

The death of a Germantown teen who struck and killed during her morning walk to school framed the discussion of Montgomery County Council members Thursday, The Gazette reports. The council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment and Public Safety committees discussed pedestrian safety as part of a yearly joint work session on the county’s pedestrian safety program. Councilman Phil Andrews, D-Dist. 3, of Gaithersburg, reportedly said the pedestrian death in Germantown Wednesday was a “tragic reminder of the additional work necessary,” according to The Gazette, which offers a full account at its website, Gazette.net. According to police, Christina Morris-Ward, 15, of the 19900 block of Sweetgum Circle, was in the process of …

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Teen Walking to School Hit By Car, Dies From Injuries

Christina Morris-Ward was a sophomore at Seneca Valley High School

(Updated 2:15 p.m.) Seneca Valley High School is mourning the death of sophomore Christina Morris-Ward, who was fatally struck by a car as she walked to school Wednesday morning. “The first thing I thought when I was notified this morning was to take a moment of prayer,” said Seneca Valley Principal Marc Cohen, who knew Morris-Ward during his tenure as Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School’s principal. “We didn't know right away that it was one of our students, but we did know where it happened.” According to Montgomery County police, Morris-Ward, 15, of the 19900 block of Sweetgum Circle, was in the process of crossing Germantown Road when she was struck by a 2010 Ford Fusion travelling north on a green signal. Police said she died at the …

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Maribel Ibrahim

10:07 pm on Thursday, March 21, 2013

This is such a sad story. All of this could have been avoided if our school systems stop forcing children to travel to school in pre-dawn hours and on unsafe roads. While certainly students do need to take responsibility for themselves, they are completely sleep deprived at this time of the morning. Start School Later has been working tirelessly to get a task force bill passed in the Maryland …   more ›