Silver Spring, MD — The Montgomery County Police Department is urging the public for help after a 73‑year‑old woman, Florence L. Chumbow, was struck and killed in a hit‑and‑run collision early Monday evening on Columbia Pike near Fairland Road. The crash has shaken the local community and left investigators piecing together the final moments of a life cut short.
Just before 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 12, officers from the 3rd District and Fire Rescue crews rushed to the busy intersection of southbound Route 29 and Fairland Road after a call reported a pedestrian struck in the roadway. When emergency responders arrived, Chumbow, a long‑time Silver Spring resident, was already dead.
Witness accounts and police findings show there were two separate impacts in the tragic event. Chumbow was first struck near the marked crosswalk in the southbound lanes of Columbia Pike by what appeared to be a red or maroon Toyota Solara from the late 1990s to early 2000s. She was walking against the signal at the time, witnesses said, when she was hit and left in the road.
Instead of stopping, the driver of the Solara kept going down Columbia Pike. Investigators believe that vehicle likely has noticeable damage: a broken left headlight with the lens missing, damage to the left front bumper or fender, and possibly a missing left side mirror or plastic inner fender pieces.
Moments after that initial collision, Chumbow was struck again — this time by an older model orange Ford Crown Victoria traveling east on Fairland Road. That second driver also left the scene but was later found and identified by detectives.
Police have ruled out a Toyota Tacoma, which earlier reports mistakenly suggested might have been involved. The Crown Victoria driver has been accounted for, but the Toyota Solara remains missing and investigators see that vehicle as key to understanding the full circumstances of the crash.
Neighbors and relatives describe Chumbow as someone who was out on a regular Monday evening when tragedy struck. The way she died — hit by two cars and left in the street — has intensified calls in Silver Spring for better pedestrian safety in the area, especially along busy Route 29 where walkers and drivers frequently share space.
As the investigation continues, police are asking anyone who saw the collision or knows anything about the Solara or its driver to reach out to the Montgomery County Police Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240‑773‑6620 or via email at the unit’s public contact. Tips could help bring some closure to Chumbow’s family and community.
