A county grand jury charged a Hyattsville resident with criminally negligent manslaughter in the November 2023 deaths of two children at a crosswalk in front of Riverdale Park Elementary School, according to a June The Washington Post article.
On the morning of Nov. 20, 2023, a 10-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy were walking to school with the boy’s father across the intersection of Riverdale and Taylor Roads, when the crash occurred. The children were taken to a hospital, where they died shortly after, according to the article. The boy’s father was also hit but survived.
Prince George’s State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said during a news conference that Olga Lugo Jiminez, of Hyattsville, made a turn “that should not have been made unless it was clear that she could make the turn safely.”
Braveboy said Jiminez was driving a passenger van as part of an independent service, not associated with the county school system, that transported community children to school.
Prosecutors said that Jiminez is charged with two counts of criminally negligent manslaughter and two counts of causing serious physical injury or death of a vulnerable individual while operating a motor vehicle.
“It’s a tough case because we know Ms. Jiminez did not intend to hurt or harm anyone,” Braveboy said.
Prosecutors noted that there was no crossing guard at the intersection at the time. The November 2023 incident led to calls for the county police department to prioritize filling school crossing guard positions.
Jiminez failed to appear for a July 5 hearing in Prince George’s County Circuit Court. A trial is scheduled for Oct. 21.