A woman has died after she was hit by a bus in Bethesda, Maryland, early Tuesday just a block from the day care center where she worked.

Devika Gunasekere, 67, died Tuesday evening after she was hit by a Ride On bus on Old Georgetown Road, Montgomery County police said.

"Miss Devika was a wonderful and caring human being," said Silvia Moreno, the director of Guiding Star Child Development Center. "She did not deserve to die this way."

According to a preliminary investigation, Gunasekere, of Rockville, was crossing Old Georgetown Road from west to east at Battery Lane as the bus driver tried to turn left from westbound Battery Lane onto Old Georgetown Road. The bus hit her about 7:50 a.m.

Police believe Gunasekere was walking in a marked crosswalk at the time of the crash.

The bus driver received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital. The four passengers on the bus at the time were uninjured

Investigators are looking at the timing of traffic signals.

Moreno said Gunasekere had crossed the street where she was hit hundreds of times.

"Devika was a careful person," she said. "None of us can imagine that this had anything of her fault at all."

Josh Mulitz, who lives on the corner of Old Georgetown Road and Battery Lane, said he believes timing of the lights is an issue.

"It's only a 10-second crosswalk, and they always start it at the wrong time when everyone is turning right," he said.

The bus driver has been with Ride On, Montgomery County's bus system, since 2006, a Montgomery County official said. He is undergoing routine testing for alcohol and drugs, which is standard protocol after a crash. The driver has not been charged.

The director of the daycare center where Gunasekere worked said staff members are not speaking with children about their caretaker's death.

"When I met with the staff, they had requested that we not tell the children right now," Moreno said. "We're just saying that she's away on vacation."

Gunasekere is survived by her husband, two adult children and a grandchild.

"Her husband is just so overwhelmed with grief," Moreno said.

Anyone with information for police is asked to call 240-773-6620.