'He Was Crying, Bloody. He Had Blood On His Hands,' Mother Recalls

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When Leonova arrived at the intersection of Pine Hill Road and Georgetown Pike, she saw Daniel lying on the ground with a pillow under his head. Kneeling next to him was the husband of the woman who’d call her to the scene.

“He was crying, bloody. He had blood on his hands, on his head, on his side,” she said. “The shoes were lying somewhere nearby, so he wasn’t wearing his shoes. His baseball cap was lying somewhere to the side, as well. I came up to him. I knelt down, just letting him know that I was there, and it was OK.”

A short time later, emergency medical personnel arrived to take Daniel to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was treated for two broken bones in his right leg.

Although the 14-year-old boy had a number of lacerations on his head and a great deal of road rash and bruises along the right side of his body, a CAT scan of his head and back showed that those were fine.

Student Encounters Incomplete Sidewalk, No Crosswalks

Daniel was struck by a car as he was trying to cross Georgetown Pike near Pine Hill Road. There is no crosswalk at the intersection. In fact, there are no crosswalks between the street on which the Langley freshman lives and his school.

A sidewalk runs along the south side of Georgetown Pike, but it abruptly ends several hundred yards past Mackall Farms Lane. Anyone walking to school beyond that point would have to do so on the edge of Georgetown Pike, which gets very busy during the morning rush hour.

The alternative is to cross the busy road and take the asphalt path that worms its way through some woods to the high school. That is what Daniel was attempting to do on the morning of Aug. 21.

Following the accident, Leonova contacted Dranesville Supervisor Jimmy Bierman’s office, trying to raise awareness of the dangers facing pedestrians along Georgetown Pike.

“This situation is a clear consequence of the lack of a stop sign or a marked crosswalk at this intersection,” she said, in an email to Bierman. “Given the increasing traffic in the mornings and in the afternoon and ongoing presence of pedestrians, I believe installing a stop sign and a marked crosswalk at this location would significantly enhance safety for everyone. Several of our neighbors have expressed similar concerns, and we feel that proactive measures are necessary to prevent any other potential accidents.”

On Leonova’s behalf, the supervisor’s office asked Fairfax County Public Schools to consider providing buses for students in the area due to the lack of crosswalks on the main road leading to the Langley High School, according to Prabha Rollins, Bierman’s senior staff aide.

The supervisor also asked the police department to increase speed enforcement during school arrival and dismissal times.

“Supervisor Bierman has repeatedly made clear that he would support a speed camera in every school zone — the safety of our kids is too important, and he has no patience for motorists who break the law around schools,” Rollins said.

Last July, Fairfax County Police presented a plan that would add 50 more speed cameras near schools as part of the first phase of the expansion of the county’s speed camera program.

“While Langley High School was not identified by FCPD and FCPS as a proposed location for the next 50 speed cameras that are part of the Phase One expansion of the County’s speed camera program, Supervisor Bierman is interested in placing speed cameras in all school zones in the Dranesville District, and will suggest Langley High School for future expansions,” said Ben Wiles, Bierman’s chief of staff, in an email to Patch.

At the Dranesville supervisor’s request, the Virginia Department of Transportation, which has authority over county roads, reviewed the area around the crash.

“They determined that a crosswalk cannot be installed at the Pine Valley and Georgetown Pike intersection,” Wiles said. “However, VDOT did find that the next intersection to the east at Mackall Farms Lane and Georgetown Pike meets the sight distance requirements and would be suitable for a crosswalk if a new ADA ramp were to be added to connect to the existing trail on the north side of the intersection. VDOT has begun working to implement this ramp and crosswalk. We do not have a timeline yet for when this work will be completed, but will continue to stay in contact with VDOT for updates.”

Daniel’s recovery is expected to take about 10 to 12 weeks, and he will still need surgery, according to Leonova.

“The emotional damage, of course, is quite significant,” she said. “He’s an athlete, and for him, it’s just really devastating to be missing a good part of the hockey season.”

Last May, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recognized the Langley Saxons ice hockey team for winning its third consecutive Northern Virginia Scholastic High School League Championship. Daniel joined his teammates at the government center to receive the proclamation from the board.

Daniel also plays with Team Maryland, a youth ice hockey team based out of the Rockville Ice Arena.

“It feels a bit sad that my season is over,” Daniel said. “After getting hit. I remember immediately starting to say that my season is over upon seeing my leg, I just knew that this injury won’t be quick to come back from.”

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