A child has died after he was struck by a minivan driver while riding an electric scooter in Herndon’s Highland Mews neighborhood just east of Dulles International Airport.
Units with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were dispatched to the 3000 block of Madden Court near Food Lion at around 5:30 p.m. today (Thursday) for the crash, according to scanner traffic.
“Preliminarily, a 9-year-old boy was riding an electric scooter when he was struck by a vehicle,” the Fairfax County Police Department said on social media just before 7 p.m. “He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”
The driver, an adult woman, remained at the scene of the crash, police said.
The FCPD advised drivers to “use an alternate route” with Madden Court temporarily closed to traffic at Highland Mews.
The driver remained on scene. Madden Ct. at Highland Mews is closed in both directions. Please use an alternate route. Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives are investigating. (2/2)
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) July 23, 2026
While an investigation is still underway, initial findings by Crash Reconstruction Unit detectives suggest the boy wasn’t wearing a helmet when he was hit by the driver, who was “entering the neighborhood,” FCPD spokesperson Capt. Chris Cosgriff said in a briefing shortly before 9 p.m.
“It’s still early in the investigation to determine the speeds and the angles and which directions both the boy on the scooter and the van were going,” he said.
Throughout this summer, the FCPD and other public safety agencies across Northern Virginia have been trying to raise awareness of how to use electric-powered personal mobility devices legally and safely, though the campaigns have mostly focused on e-bikes due to an increase of faster motorbikes.
Taking advantage of new authority granted by the Virginia General Assembly, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors updated the county code on June 23 to require anyone under 15 to wear a protective helmet while riding on any scooter, e-bike or motorized skateboard on local roads.
The law allowing localities to enact ordinances requiring helmets for riders 14 and younger officially took effect on July 1. Previously, the county had only mandated helmets for bicycle riders in that age range.
Cosgriff urged parents to ensure their kids know road safety rules, including the need to wear a helmet when on a bicycle or scooter, and he encouraged community members “to speak up if you see something dangerous, whether it’s your kid or not.”
“This is a very tragic incident for everyone in this neighborhood and for everyone involved, and [we] continue to hold everyone here in our thoughts and prayers,” Cosgriff said.
