crash

ART Bus Driver Found Not Guilty of Reckless Driving in Seven-Vehicle Wreck

By ARLnow.com
1/8

The ART bus driver who was involved in a seven-vehicle wreck along Columbia Pike in December has been found not guilty of reckless driving.

The verdict was reached today after a trial held before Arlington County General District Court Judge Richard McCue. Agere Sileshi, 27, was found not guilty of the original charge of reckless driving, but was found guilty of “improper driving.”

Sileshi faces a $250 fine but no jail time on the charge, which “embodies a finding by the Court that the ‘degree of culpability is slight,'” according her attorney, Alexandria attorney Joseph Blaszkow. Sileshi has been on medical leave since the incident, Blaszkow said.

According to court testimony, Sileshi was driving her bus through the parking lot of the Columbia Pike Plaza shopping center when a car suddenly turned in front of her. Sileshi struck the car and then drove her bus through a retaining wall and onto S. Dinwiddie Street, striking several additional vehicles.

Altogether, five passenger vehicle, a mixing truck and several bicycles were damaged in the crash. Three vehicle occupants and a pedestrian were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Driver Clinging to Life After Crashing Near Key Bridge

By Ethan Rothstein

Police car lightsA suspected drunk driver is in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital after crashing his SUV near the Key Bridge early yesterday morning.

At 2:06 a.m. Thursday, the driver of a GMC Yukon sped over the Key Bridge from Georgetown into Rosslyn when he struck the curb at the intersection of Ft. Myer Drive and Lee Highway, Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

“The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed,” Sternbeck said, “and alcohol may have been a factor.”

When the vehicle hit the curb, Sternbeck said, it flipped over and rolled multiple times. While the car was rolling over, the driver was ejected. A “citizen passerby” saw the crash and gave the driver CPR until the police arrived. At that time, police continued to administer CPR until the man was transported back across the river to GW hospital.

As of yesterday afternoon, the driver was in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, Sternbeck said. There was no update on his health today because ACPD detectives are focusing their efforts on the death investigation in Aurora Highlands.

Glebe Road Crash Victim Identified as Pa. Resident

By Ethan Rothstein

Fatal accident on N. Glebe Road (photo courtesy @ArlingtonVaPD)The man who died on Friday night in a three-vehicle crash on N. Glebe Road has been identified as Todd Bohnert, 48, of York, Pa.

The crash happened at 8:43 p.m., in front of Marymount University.

Bohnert was driving a pickup truck that slammed into the back of a Jaguar at the intersection of Glebe Road and Old Dominion Drive, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

“A high rate of speed was involved in the crash,” Sternbeck said today. It is not yet known if drugs or alcohol were a factor — the medical examiner has not released a toxicology report.

Glebe Road was closed down into the early morning hours on Saturday, Sternbeck said, as ACPD investigated the scene. Bohnert was ejected from his truck upon impact, and he was pronounced dead on the scene.

Photo courtesy @ArlingtonVaPD

BREAKING: Police Investigating Fatal Accident on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Fatal accident on N. Glebe Road (photo courtesy @ArlingtonVaPD)

(Updated at 11:10 p.m.) One person is dead following a three-car accident on N. Glebe Road near Marymount University tonight.

Arlington 911 dispatchers received a call for a serious crash at the intersection of Glebe and Old Dominion Drive around 8:30 p.m. Friday. Paramedics arriving at the accident scene found one victim lying in the middle of the road, suffering traumatic injuries.

That person was pronounced dead on the scene, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm.

Initial reports suggest that a pickup truck headed northbound rear-ended a Jaguar at the intersection, and that the pickup truck driver was ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the pickup was found dead, but the driver of the Jaguar suffered only minor injuries and did not require transport to the hospital, we’re told.

It’s believed that there were no other occupants of either vehicle, Malcolm said. A third vehicle, in the southbound lanes, was reportedly struck by the Jaguar after it was rear-ended. No one in the third vehicle required hospitalization, according to Malcolm.

Arlington detectives and the county’s critical accident team are currently investigating the crash. All lanes of Glebe Road are closed at the scene, and are expected to remain closed for several hours. Westbound Old Dominion Drive is closed, and eastbound traffic is being diverted onto southbound Glebe.

The victim is a man in his late 40s, Malcolm said. Early in the investigation, his body was still lying on the roadway, covered with a sheet.

Photo courtesy @ArlingtonVaPD

Car Knocks Over Light Pole on George Mason Drive

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A car ran into and knocked over a light pole on S. George Mason Drive this afternoon.

The crash involved a single vehicle — a Ford Mustang convertible — and happened around 2:00 p.m. in front of the Army National Guard Readiness Center, near Route 50.

We’re told that the driver suffered minor injuries as a result of the wreck. She was transported via ambulance to a local hospital.

The northbound lanes of George Mason Drive are temporarily closed between 4th Street S. and Route 50. Southbound lanes of George Mason are still open.

Dominion Power crews are on scene, preparing to assist with the clean-up.

Arlington Woman Killed in Alleged Drunk Driving Crash

By Ethan Rothstein

Nancy Tinoza (photo via Facebook)(Updated at 2:55 p.m.) A 26-year-old Arlington woman was killed in Northeast D.C. early Sunday morning, when the driver of a car in which she was a passenger slammed into a parked tractor trailer.

Nancy Tinoza, an immigrant from Zimbabwe, was killed in the collision at about 3:12 a.m. on the 3400 block of Eastern Avenue NE, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. She was pronounced dead after being transported to the Washington Medical Center’s trauma center.

The driver of the car and another passenger were also hospitalized, and after officers interviewed the driver, Momodu Bello, they arrested him and charged him with second-degree murder.

According to the criminal complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court, Bello, a 35-year-old Fort Washington, Md. resident, was intoxicated and speeding on Eastern Avenue, which has a 25 mph speed limit. According to police, Bello said he had two beers and a shot of Hennessy at Club Mango in Bladensburg, Md., before driving, and “thought that the truck was moving.”

Bello was driving a Volkswagen Passat, which “submarined” under the truck during the collision. Tinoza suffered “massive blunt force trauma” to the head and was rendered unconscious.

“[A witness] saw the defendant had dragged [Tinoza] out of the vehicle by her arms and began shaking [her] violently when she did not respond to the defendant’s attempts to speak with her,” the complaint reads. “At one point, the defendant dropped the unconscious decedent, causing her head to strike the asphalt pavement.”

Bello was denied bond at an arraignment hearing yesterday, District of Columbia U.S. Attorney spokesman Bill Miller said in an email. His first preliminary hearing is on Friday.

Tinoza worked as a research assistant with the International Monetary Fund, according to her LinkedIn profile, and graduated from the College of Wooster in 2012 through the U.S. Student Achievers Program (USAP), which places international students in U.S. colleges. The program has set up a fundraising page to support her family in Zimbabwe — as of 1:30 p.m. the page has raised $8,483 of a $20,000 goal.

“We are saddened and devastated by this loss — she will be remembered for her kindness, energy, optimism and brilliance,” the USAP wrote on the fundraising page. “She was a role model to many, and full of promise and potential. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, and all she has touched.”

Photo via Facebook

UPDATED: Icy Roads, Salt Shortage Making Travel Around Arlington Treacherous

By ARLnow.com

Car into tree due to icy conditions at 14th Street and N. Veitch Street (Photo courtesy @aklake34)(Updated at 1:00 p.m.) Icy roads are leading to numerous crashes and road closures this morning.

“We’ve already responded to several vehicle accidents this morning,” the Arlington County Fire Department said this morning via Twitter. “Please slow down and use caution.”

Among the accidents reported so far this morning are a car that slammed into a tree near the intersection of 14th Street and N. Veitch Street in Courthouse. The driver was “injured and in shock” after the accident, according to a witness. Another accident, in which a car slid and became stuck on the curb, has been reported at 2nd Street and S. Fillmore Street.

Police are considering shutting down the icy, treacherous hilly portion of 14th Street, where the car slid into a tree. N. Courthouse Road has reportedly been shut down at Route 50 due to similar icy conditions, as has 13th Street at N. Troy Street.

“We’re basically coning off the entire Courthouse area,” one police officer was overheard saying. “We’re running low on cones.”

Other reported problem spots include S. Buchanan Street and 9th Street, where several cars have been abandoned, and Wilson Blvd and N. Emerson Street. Even relatively flat portions of main roads are said to be treacherous.

ARLnow.com hears that Arlington is now “out of salt,” after officials said they were running low yesterday evening. We also hear that the county expects a fresh shipment of salt at noon, with the goal of road crews resuming road treatments at 1:00 p.m.

Just after  noon, Arlington County confirmed that more salt was on the way.

Arlington County will receive 2,000 additional tons of salt to help in clearing roads of snow and sleet. The first shipment will arrive today. The County previously received a mid-season resupply, but it was not enough due to the severity of this winter and stock supplies from the regional contractor nearing depletion.

Crews have been working around the clock to plow streets and have used salt conservatively, supplementing with sand. The County is currently clearing residential streets and will continue to do so for the remainder of the day and evening.

Residents should continue to expect hazardous travel conditions, particularly on side streets. Stay off the roads if possible. Cyclists should be extra cautious and on the lookout for accumulated sand on the roads.

Those driving aren’t the only ones experiencing travel woes this morning. The Blue, Orange and Silver lines experienced significant delays after an earlier train malfunction that prompted single-tracking between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

The single-tracking has ended, Metro said shortly before 9:00, but residual delays remain. Riders say platforms, particularly at Rosslyn, are crowded.

After the jump, a warning about icy roads today and later tonight from VDOT.

Photo (top) courtesy @aklake34

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State Trooper Struck By Car on I-66

By Ethan Rothstein

Virginia State Police badge(Updated at 5:00 p.m.) A state trooper has been hospitalized with serious injuries after being struck by a car on westbound I-66 just outside of Arlington this afternoon.

At about 2:00 p.m., according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corrine Geller, the trooper was out of his vehicle during a traffic stop just before the exit for I-495 North when a passing car ran off the road. The vehicle struck both stopped cars, Geller said, and the collision sent vehicles into the unprotected trooper.

The trooper and three others were transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. The trooper suffered serious injuries and “the extent of those injuries are still being assessed,” Geller wrote. The other three have non-life-threatening injuries.

Geller said the crash is still under investigation.

The accident was the second time a state trooper was hit in Northern Virginia in 12 hours; at about 3:30 a.m., an “out-of-control SUV” slammed into Trooper I.J. Dallam Sr. in Prince William County. Dallam has since been treated and released, Geller said.

Photos: Car Crashes Into Shirlington Dog Park

By Ethan Rothstein
1/9

A man was transported to Virginia Hospital Center after crashing into the fence of the Shirlington dog park this morning.

According to multiple witnesses, the driver of the Dodge sedan revved his engine on S. Oxford Street and sped into the fence of the park, smashing through the chain links, metal poles and a tree. An Arlington County Fire Department source on the scene said he suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver was an employee of Arlington Collision Center, the body shop’s manager confirmed to ARLnow.com, and the Dodge was a car the shop was servicing.

Witnesses said the car barreled through the entrance to the park, but no dogs or owners were hurt in the crash. One witness said the car “wasn’t just parked and he revved his engine. He sped into the fence.”

Another witness said the driver never lost consciousness, but went into shock a couple of minutes after the crash occurred. ACFD’s rescue crew had to use its “jaws of life” device to tear the roof off the vehicle to remove the driver and place him on a stretcher.

The owner of Wag More Dogs daycare and boarding center right next to the park, Kim Houghton, told ARLnow.com employees of the collision center “race these cars” down Oxford Street “all the time.”

“From where the end of the street is to here, they just gun it with the wrecked cars they have,” Houghton said. S. Oxford Street is only a few hundred feet long. “I’ve told them they need to go slow because there are people letting their dogs out and it’s dangerous.”

The collision center’s manager declined further comment. No other injuries were reported.

The entrance to the dog park was severely damaged in the crash, and it’s unclear how functional the dog park will be until the county can repair it.

Overturned Vehicle on I-395 in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

I-395 accidentPolice and firefighters are on the scene of a reported rollover accident on I-395.

The accident happened at the exit 8A ramp off of northbound I-395, near Pentagon City. Two travel lanes and the ramp are blocked approaching the scene.

Initial reports suggest that it’s a single-vehicle accident involving an overturned SUV. The driver was able to get out of the overturned vehicle on his or her own power, according to scanner traffic.

The driver’s injuries are said to be minor.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Sledding in Arlington on the hills near H-B Woodlawn (Flickr pool photo by Brian Irwin)

School Board Says No to Wilson School Historic Status — Any hope preservationists had of salvaging pieces of Rosslyn’s Wilson School are likely dashed. The Arlington School Board voted last night, during an abbreviated meeting, to reject the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s proposal to give the Wilson School, built in 1910 at 1601 Wilson Blvd, historic protections. It has been renovated in the interim, and school officials contend the renovation diminishes its historic value. [InsideNova]

Cops Looking for Crime-Fighting Cabbie — Arlington police are trying to find a cab driver who helped them make an arrest in Pentagon City Tuesday night. An officer was trying to chase down a man suspected of stealing from a store in Pentagon City mall when the cab pulled up and the driver told the officer to hop in. The cab drove up to the suspect and the officer got out and made the arrest — but the driver left the scene before police could thank him and pay the fare. [WJLA]

Happy Hour Advertising Bill Passes — Both houses of the Virginia General Assembly have passed a bill that would allow Virginia bars to list the names of drinks they’re offering when advertising happy hour specials. Current ABC laws prohibit ads that use language like “beer and wine specials” or “discounted margaritas.” Even under the new legislation, however, bars would still be prohibited from listing the actual prices of happy hour specials in their advertising. [WTOP]

Rollover Wreck on Washington Blvd — An SUV reportedly ran into two parked cars and then rolled over on Washington Blvd last night. [Twitter]

History of Glebe Road — Why is Glebe Road so named? The road, which dates back to the mid-18th century, is not, as one might think, named after a person. [Ghosts of DC]

Flickr pool photo by Brian Irwin

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