crash

Crash, Road Rage Incident Leads to Arrest of Alexandria Man

By ARLnow.com

A 69-year-old Alexandria man is facing a felony charge after police say a minor, two-vehicle crash led to a physical altercation along Lee Highway.

The crash happened shortly before noon this past Friday — Valentine’s Day — near the intersection of Lee Highway and N. George Mason Drive. In its aftermath, numerous people called police to report a physical fight in the street.

Police responded and determined that one of the drivers punched a window on the other car several times, then “produced a knife and allegedly attempted to strike the victim,” according to Arlington County Police. The suspect was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding.

More from a new ACPD crime report:

ATTEMPTED MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2020-02140133, N. George Mason Drive at Lee Highway. At approximately 11:40 a.m. on February 14, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim and suspect were involved in a minor vehicle crash when the suspect began yelling obscenities towards the victim. The suspect then pulled his vehicle in front of the victim’s vehicle, exited and approached the victim. The suspect struck the victim’s window multiple times with a closed fist. The victim attempted to push the suspect away by opening his door, however, the suspect produced a knife and allegedly attempted to strike the victim. The victim was not injured. Ralph Graham, 69, of Alexandria, Va., was arrested and charged with Attempted Malicious Wounding.

ARLnow posted about the incident on Twitter at the time:

Truck Smashes Sidewalk Bench, Sign on Old Dominion Drive

By ARLnow.com

A rental box truck ran off the side of Old Dominion Drive this afternoon, damaging a bench, a sign and a fence.

The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m., just west of the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Williamsburg Blvd, in the Rock Spring neighborhood.

Traffic camera images show a yellow Penske rental truck on the sidewalk and a Metro bus stop sign on the ground. A black metal bench was also reportedly smashed, along with a fence and a tree in the yard adjacent to the sidewalk.

It’s not clear how the crash happened, nor whether any other vehicles were involved. No injuries have been reported. Police are on scene.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Multi-Vehicle Crash on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

A crash involving some 3-4 vehicles is currently blocking lanes on S. Glebe Road.

The multi-vehicle wreck was reported around 9:45 on S. Glebe Road near the Maserati dealership and the I-395 ramps. At least one lefthand lane is blocked in both directions at 26th Road S.

Police are on scene directing traffic, while medics evaluate at least one person for possible injuries.

Update at 11 a.m. — All lanes have reportedly reopened.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Never Ending Bike Rack Construction at EFC Metro — “Metro has been building a Bike & Ride facility at the East Falls Church Metro Station for nearly five years, and the project still is not finished. The covered bike shelter was supposed to open in December 2015, but Metro says due to ‘Numerous construction quality issues, including damage caused by a contractor repeatedly drilling into an underground duct bank, led to lengthy delays.'” [WJLA]

Another Sewage Release in Four Mile Run — “Avoid all contact with Four Mile Run south of 7th Street until further notice due to a sanitary sewage release. @ArlingtonDES crews are on scene investigating pipe’s condition.” [Twitter]

Delegate Wants to Retrocede Arlington to D.C. — Del. Dave LaRock (R) “said some counties and jurisdictions in the state ‘are becoming more like California and New York…’ [LaRock said he] could get behind a move to have more liberal jurisdictions such as Arlington and Alexandria become part of Washington, D.C.” [Winchester Star, Blue Virginia]

Weird Crash Leaves Car Hanging — “Rough night… at Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street.” [Twitter]

Cristol to Chair NVTC — “Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol has been tapped to chair the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission for the 2020 calendar year. She succeeds Matt Letourneau, a member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.” [InsideNova]

Marine Corps Marathon Bans Cheater — “The Marine Corps Marathon Organization (MCMO) recently concluded an investigation into the running history of a 55-year-old female participant at both the Marine Corps 17.75K and the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM). The research, including photographic evidence and timing data, indicates that the runner had cheated over multiple years by not running the entire course and then claiming the rewards of a finisher.” [Press Release]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Prius Takes a Dip at Carpool Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Police responded to an unusual accident in Ballston Friday afternoon.

A Toyota Prius appears to have been driven into a construction zone at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Quincy Street and partially fallen into excavated portion of roadway — possibly an uncovered utility vault — in a scene that looks somewhat like Arlington’s version of the infamous Pittsburgh sinkhole bus.

No injuries were reported.

The crash was not obstructing traffic and did not appear to have a significant impact on the construction work. A 22-story apartment tower is being built at the site, which was formerly home to long-time local watering hole Carpool.

BREAKING: Police Investigating Crash Involving Scooter, School Bus

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Arlington County Police and medics are on scene of a crash involving an Arlington County school bus and an electric scooter.

The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Oak Street in Rosslyn. Initial reports suggest the scooter rider has serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Students were on board at the time but no injuries were reported on the bus, according to scanner traffic. The students were loaded onto another bus to continue their journey home.

N. Oak Street and at least one lane of Wilson Blvd was blocked at the crash scene as of 4:15 p.m., as police investigate the crash.

Vernon Miles contributed to this report

Man Rescued from Creek After Flipping Car

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A single-vehicle crash that resulted in a car on its roof, on rocks along Four Mile Run, ended with the driver being rescued from the creek after allegedly trying to flee the scene.

That’s according to the Arlington County Fire Department.

The fire department first tweeted about the crash near the intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Eads Street — near Route 1 and the Metro bus depot — around 3:45 a.m. Later, the department said it had rescued the driver, who tried to flee the scene after the crash but got stuck along the water.

The rescue operation involved ACFD’s swift water rescue boats. The man was said to be safely out of the water around 4 a.m.

No word yet on whether any charges will be filed against the driver.

Deer Strike Injures Driver During Foggy Evening Commute

By ARLnow.com

A woman has been injured after striking a deer along Spout Run Parkway tonight.

The crash happened between the GW Parkway and Lorcom Lane, during a foggy evening commute.

Initial reports suggest the woman was bleeding profusely from the face after the force of the impact shattered the car’s windshield. The deer was found dead nearby.

Traffic maps show increasingly heavy westbound traffic on Spout Run, starting shortly after the exit from the GW Parkway.

Map via Google Maps

TRAFFIC ALERT: Pole Down After Crash on I-66

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Expect heavy traffic on westbound I-66 in Arlington due to a two-vehicle crash near the Washington Blvd exit.

The crash felled a light pole, which then fell across the right-hand lane of the highway. Police are on scene, awaiting a highway crew to move the pole and tow trucks to remove the crashed vehicles.

As of 1 p.m., one lane was getting by the crash scene, with temporary full closures to help facilitate the cleanup. Westbound traffic was backed up more than a mile, to the Rosslyn area, as a result.

Update at 2 p.m. — It appears that the pole has been moved out of the roadway and the blocked lane will reopen soon.

Photo (1) courtesy David Johnson

TRAFFIC ALERT: Multi-Vehicle Crash Involving ART Bus Blocks Walter Reed Drive

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Update at 4:10 p.m. — The road has reopened, according to scanner traffic.

Earlier: S. Walter Reed Drive is blocked near the Arlington Career Center following a multi-vehicle crash.

An ART bus serving ART Route 77 is among the four vehicles involved in the crash, which happened on a rainy Tuesday afternoon just as the evening rush hour was starting. There’s no word yet on what caused the crash.

One person was injured and brought to a local hospital, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.

The southbound lanes of Walter Reed “will continue to be shut down while vehicles can be cleared,” ACFD said. Drivers on Walter Reed should expect heavy traffic and detours between Columbia Pike and Route 50.

State Police: Six Highway Workers Injured in I-66 DUI Crash

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:40 p.m.) Six highway workers along I-66 in Arlington were injured, four seriously, after an alleged DUI driver plowed into their work zone overnight.

The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. on I-66 near the N. Quincy Street overpass. Virginia State Police say the driver of a GMC Yukon veered into an active work zone, striking the half dozen workers before slamming into a light pole.

The driver was arrested for DUI and two passengers who allegedly tried to flee the scene were apprehended by Arlington County Police nearby, according to VSP. The six workers and two of the GMC occupants were brought to local hospitals, but all are expected to survive.

Initially, some of the injuries were reported to be critical and potentially life-threatening. A task force of Arlington and Fairfax County medics treated and transported the eight injured people.

More from VSP:

At 12:29 a.m. Thursday (Dec. 5), Virginia State Police responded to a crash within a Highway Work Zone in the westbound lanes of I-66 at Quincy Street near Exit 72 in Arlington County.

A GMC Yukon traveling west on I-66 swerved into the active Work Zone and struck six highway construction workers. The vehicle continued off the right side of the I-66 and crashed into a light pole.

There were three occupants in the GMC. The driver and a passenger in the GMC fled the scene on foot. State police and Arlington Police apprehended the two near the scene.

Arlington County Fire transported a total of eight individuals. Four of the highway workers are still being treated at Fairfax Inova for serious, but non-life threatening, injuries. Two other highway workers and the two male GMC passengers were transported to George Washington University Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The driver of the Yukon, Kevin L. Blyther, 44, of Centreville, Va., has been charged with driving while intoxicated, one felony count for failure to stop at the scene of a crash involving an injury and one count of driving on a suspended/revoked license. Blyther is being held at the Arlington County Adult Detention Center.

There was a Virginia State Police vehicle positioned in the work zone with its blue lights flashing and the work zone was equipped with additional safety equipment and amber flashing lights to alert motorists of the active Highway Work Zone.

The crash remains under investigation.

This is not Blyther’s first serious run-in with the law. In 2017, he was arrested in Centreville following what police described as a six-hour barricade situation and domestic assault.

VDOT, meanwhile, is thanking social media users for an “outpouring of support” for the contractors who were struck.

View More Stories