An elderly couple was killed by an oncoming car on Tuesday morning, Nov. 8, as they crossed a street next to Fields Road Elementary School in their Gaithersburg neighborhood.
Ana Ortiz, 70, was walking with her husband, 65-year-old Miguel Ortiz, across a marked crosswalk on School Drive around 7:15 a.m. when a motorist in a 2007 Toyota Prius struck them, according to a Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) press release.
The two were transported to an area hospital where they were both pronounced dead.
The Fields Road Elementary School voting center opened at 7:00 a.m. on Election Day for the 2022 Gubernatorial General Election, shortly before the married couple was on their way to vote, surviving family told ABC7.
County Executive Marc Elrich said the driver was speeding and “likely drunk,” in a press briefing Wednesday. “This isn’t an issue of visibility, it’s not an issue of how this was constructed,” he said.
“This is an issue of somebody drunk, driving recklessly at a high speed, and killing these people as they were crossing the street, too drunk to see people walking in front of them.”
However, contrary to Elrich’s statement, the driver remained on the scene after the incident and was not arrested after police conducted a sobriety test, according to the press release.
Police say the investigation is active and ongoing.
In the press briefing, Dr. Earl Stoddard said that as the amount of daylight decreases with the end of daylight savings, the county faces “the most dangerous period” for pedestrian and bicyclist safety on roads.
“We firmly believe that drivers bear the greatest responsibility in protection our pedestrians and cyclists…driver attentiveness has to increase,” he said.
Montgomery County Council Vice President Evan Glass tweeted a poignant message in the wake of the tragedy, urging motorists to be mindful of surrounding pedestrians when driving.
Their names were Miguel & Anna Ortiz. May they Rest In Peace. https://t.co/Z8uEYExGr6
— Evan Glass (@EvanMGlass) November 9, 2022
