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Tesla smashes into Columbia Pike playground

The driver of a Tesla careened down a hill and smashed into a playground over the weekend along Columbia Pike.

The crash happened around 1:45 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the Wildwood Park apartments, on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike.

No other vehicles were involved, according to police, and no injuries were reported.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the driver was attempting to park in the 3400 block of S. Jefferson Street when the vehicle proceeded down a hill and struck a fence, wall and utility pole,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

Scanner traffic suggests the vehicle — a Tesla Model Y with Maryland temporary tags — overturned at least once while going down the hill but came to rest upright.

The playground, which is “usually packed with kids,” was empty amid a steady rain, a tipster tells ARLnow.

The driver, a 59-year-old Maryland woman, “was issued a summons for reckless driving,” according to Savage. She works at a nearby senior living facility, online records suggest.

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  • Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

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