Child, Grandmother Struck And Killed By Car In Baltimore County
LUTHERVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- A little girl and her grandmother were killed Monday morning after an SUV lost control, striking them while they were taking a morning stroll in Baltimore County.
Just steps away from the sidewalk where Delaney Gaddis and her grandmother Deborah Limmer were killed by an out-of-control vehicle in a Lutherville-Timonium neighborhood is a sign that reads "Drive like your kids live here."
Baltimore County Police say the accident happened around 7 a.m. at the intersection of Girdwood and Londonderry Roads where an unidentified 22-year-old driver of a Kia lost control of the vehicle and struck Limmer and Gaddis, who was in a stroller on the sidewalk.
"For reasons that are yet unknown, that vehicle left the roadway, crossed over the grass and onto the sidewalk," Baltimore County Police spokesperson Jen Peach said.
The 5-year-old girl and 60-year-old woman were both taken to area hospitals in critical condition for treatment, but they later died as a result of the crash.
"I just heard people saying, 'Call 911!'" neighbor Joe Hartnett said.
The first thing Joe Hartnett saw from his front door was a mangled stroller, and then devastation.
"I saw this lady screaming in hysterics -- who turned out to be the driver -- so I went over to comfort her. I went over to the girl to get a pulse. She wasn't really breathing," he said. "And then I saw, about 50 feet away, another person, that was the [grandmother]. And she was in and out of consciousness and I tried to tell her to just stay there. She had very bad injuries."
On Monday evening, grieving members of one Baltimore County community huddled together under the pavilion outside Pot Springs Elementary -- roughly a half mile from where the accident occurred.
"When I heard about it at work, I broke down because I couldn't imagine what this mother is going through," said organizer Cassie Newman.
Gaddis spent the night at her grandmother's for a sleepover, according to police. It's a move neighbors like Newman are grateful for.
"Whether it was mechanical issues or she was texting or distracted we don't know regardless when she hit them she didn't leave," Newman said.
The driver also had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment. According to police, the woman jumped the curve, went across a yard and a driveway before striking the pair.
A 25-year-old passenger of the SUV was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. Authorities have not yet said if the driver will face charges.
Neighbors told WJZ that the intersection is prone to accidents due to the sharp curve and steep grade. They also said almost nightly, they hear cars either scraping a tree or launching off the speed bump.
"There needs to a change in the design of that whole area and somehow their needs to a speed, someway to limit the speed of the drivers," resident Donna Mell said.
WJZ's Devin Bartolotta and George Solis contributed to this story.
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Editor's Note: An initial report stated it was a mother and baby. This information came from an eyewitness and was later corrected.