Maryland

2 children hit, killed while walking to school in Prince George's County, police say

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A car hit and killed two children who were walking to an elementary school in Prince George's County, Maryland, Monday morning, police say.

The crash happened about 8 a.m. at the intersection of Riverdale and Taylor roads, the Riverdale Park Police Department said. The children were walking to nearby Riverdale Elementary School at the time, police said.

Medics took the children to a hospital in critical condition, and they later died, police said.

Witnesses told News4 and our news partner Telemundo44 the victims were a girl and a boy.

"I ran to see what happened and I see a little girl lying on the street and then a father with his boy in his arms and the boy was hurt. He was asking for help. It was all so sad," one woman told Telemundo44 in Spanish.

Police said the driver involved stayed at the scene.

Video shows police tape surrounding the intersection, which is a four-way stop directly across from the school parking lot and main entrance. A large, black Ford van sat within the taped off area. A few feet away from the van, a backpack could be seen lying on a sidewalk.

One woman whose sister attends the school said she went through the intersection a few minutes before the crash happened and she didn't see a crossing guard.

โ€œThere is no organization when it comes to picking up and dropping off at all. The staff is amazing and they try to help out the best they can, but as far as traffic control out here, it's horrible," she said.

As of 4 p.m., police still haven't released anymore information about the victims or the driver involved.

Officers shut down the intersection as they investigated.

After the crash, Riverdale Elementary School told parents they could pick up their children from school and many children could be seen lining up outside to get checked out for the day.

Stay with News4 for updates to this developing story.

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