A driver ran off the road and into the woods along the ramp from N. Glebe Road to Military Road during this evening’s commute.
The crash was reported shortly after 5:15 p.m., just up the hill from Chain Bridge. The driver and lone occupant of the vehicle, which ended up on its side, was reportedly able to crawl out.
The ramp is expected to remain closed pending the vehicle being removed from the woodline.
No significant injuries have been reported.
The northbound lanes of the GW Parkway will be closed this Sunday between Spout Run in Arlington and Chain Bridge Road in McLean.
The closure, from about 6 a.m.-4 p.m., is for the removal of “an abandoned vehicle that is below the road near the Potomac River.”
From the National Park Service:
On Sunday, March 5, 2023, the National Park Service (NPS) will close both northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway to remove an abandoned vehicle that is below the road near the Potomac River. The NPS expects to close the lanes between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. from Spout Run Parkway to Chain Bridge Road, VA 123. The southbound lanes will remain open. The NPS will also temporarily close parts of the Potomac Heritage Trail near the vehicle for up to half an hour at a time while the work is happening.
The abandoned vehicle is located below the parkway next to the Potomac River near Donaldson Run. The car left the road during a snowstorm in January of 2022. The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The crash and rescue happened during snowy conditions on Jan. 3, 2022.
“The driver — the only occupant of the vehicle — was trapped inside the car and suspended upside down, with a broken arm and leg, according to initial reports,” ARLnow reported at the time. “After being extricated from the vehicle, the man is now being brought to a waiting ambulance at Columbia Island Marina via D.C. fire boat.”
This is not the first time in recent memory such a closure of the Parkway has been planned. Indeed, drivers have been running down the Parkway’s steep embankments with some regularity, posing logistical challenges for the Park Service.
In March 2021, a portion of the GW Parkway was closed over the weekend as crews remove two vehicles that ran down embankments and crashed near the river.
Other such crashes since the start of 2021 include:
The northern portion of the Parkway, where many of the crashes have taken place, is in line for a significant rehabilitation project. As we previously reported:
For the first time since it was built in the early 1960s, the northern section of the GW Parkway will be getting a major overhaul.
The National Park Service announced yesterday that it had awarded a $161 million contract to rehabilitate the Parkway from Spout Run in Arlington to the Capital Beltway in McLean. After a design process in 2022, construction is expected to take place between 2023 and 2025.
Drivers are being cautioned that there will be traffic impacts during construction.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) touted the project in a statement, saying such work is overdue. This stretch of the Parkway has had to close at least three times over the past seven years due to sinkholes.
The Park Service, in today’s press release, noted that the Parkway has turned into a major commuter and travel artery, after first being envisioned as a scenic parkway.
The George Washington Memorial Parkway is a scenic roadway and memorial to the first president of the United States. When the NPS completed the northern part of the parkway in 1962, the NPS used the most up-to-date road engineering methods by integrating a wide, gently curving roadway with a grassy median, low stone guide walls and soaring steel-and-concrete arched bridges. Today the George Washington Memorial Parkway facilitates travel for more than 33 million vehicles per year, with the northern section seeing the heaviest traffic of about 85,000 daily users.
As a critical link in the national capital region’s transportation network, closing the parkway is never a decision the NPS makes lightly.
A police chase ended last night in Arlington with a state trooper injured and the alleged fleeing driver in custody.
The chase started on I-395, when a Virginia State Police trooper’s automated license plate reader flagged a Cadillac that was wanted by Fairfax County police. During the chase, a trooper’s vehicle was rammed and crashed along northbound I-395 in Arlington.
The suspect then abandoned the car on the GW Parkway at Route 50, near the Roosevelt Bridge, according to state police. He was subsequently taken into custody and identified as a 31-year-old D.C. man.
More from a VSP press release today, below.
At 8:55 p.m., a Virginia State Police trooper’s automated license plate reader (ALPR) alerted to a 2006 Cadillac sedan that Fairfax County Police was looking for. The trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a traffic stop, but the Cadillac refused to pull over and sped away northbound on I-395. A pursuit was initiated.
As state police attempted to contain the vehicle to bring it to a stop, the Cadillac rammed one of the trooper’s vehicles. The impact caused the trooper’s vehicle to run off the side of the interstate and strike the Jersey wall. The Cadillac, meanwhile, kept going.
The pursuit ended when the Cadillac stopped on the George Washington Parkway near Route 50. The driver fled on foot. The driver was apprehended a short time later and taken into custody. A passenger was also taken into custody and later released. A handgun was recovered from inside the Cadillac.
State police charged the driver of the Cadillac, Nelson Bowman, 31, of Washington, D.C., with one felony malicious wounding on law enforcement, one felony assault of a law enforcement officer, one felony count of eluding police, one felony count of illegal possession of a concealed firearm, one felony count of hit and run, one felony count of destruction of property and one misdemeanor count of obstruction of justice
The trooper who struck the Jersey wall was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment of minor injuries.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The suspect is facing a half dozen felony charges, from eluding to assault on police to a gun charge.
He has previous criminal convictions, including an Arlington home break-in for which he received prison time and was currently on probation, according to court records cited by a Twitter user who tweets about public safety incidents.
Wanted driver by #FCPD, Nelson Bowman arrested by @VSPPIO last evening is a career criminal w/long history in VA/MD. Previous penitentiary time & jail time served, currently on 5 years probation from penitentiary release last year. @ARLnowDOTcom #DMVCrime @RealTimeNews10 pic.twitter.com/nSWloGrhYt
— Romeo (@RVANOVA01) February 9, 2023
A Saturday morning crash in Pentagon City sent two people to the hospital after they were pulled from their overturned vehicle.
The crash happened around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Eads Street and was caught on video (below) by local public safety watchdog Dave Statter.
“At approx. 8:31am the Arlington County Fire Department was dispatched for a vehicle crash with entrapment,” Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Nate Hiner. “Crews quick arrived on scene and found a two-vehicle crash, with two occupants trapped inside one of the vehicles. That vehicle was stabilized and both occupants were quickly extricated. They were transported from the scene to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.”
Video of the crash shows the overturned vehicle, a blue Honda, traveling east on Army Navy Drive and getting t-boned in the intersection by a second vehicle, traveling north on Eads. It is unclear which driver had the green light.
#caughtoncamera: One overturned after crash at Army Navy & S. Eads at 8:30 a.m. 2 people were trapped for about 20 mins. Injuries reported to be non-life threatening. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVaPD handled. @ARLnowDOTcom #firefighters #EMS #police #arlington #traffic #vatraffic pic.twitter.com/6WkDhJDG9l
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) January 21, 2023
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) A driver was pulled from their overturned vehicle after reportedly running into a gas pump.
The unusual incident happened shortly before 11 a.m. at the Sunoco station at 5501 Langston Blvd, across from the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center. Employees hit the emergency gas shut off after the crash, per scanner traffic.
The driver, an elderly woman, was extricated from the Chrysler coupe by firefighters after they stabilized the vehicle. She and a second vehicle occupant were transported to a local hospital via ambulance with unspecified injuries.
“At approx. 10:54am the Arlington County Fire Department was dispatched for a report of a single vehicle crash in the 5500 block of Langston Blvd,” Capt. Nate Hiner told ARLnow. “Crews arrived on scene and found a single vehicle crash with 1 occupant trapped inside. The vehicle was stabilized and the individual was extricated. Two adults were transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries.”
There were no reports of the crash sparking a fire nor causing a significant fuel spill.
A vehicle overturned in the garage of a single-family home in the Yorktown neighborhood this afternoon.
The incident happened around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and 29th Street N., across from Washington Golf and Country Club.
It’s unclear how exactly the vehicle overturned. A large contingent of firefighters worked to stabilize the vehicle and rescue a woman who was reported to be trapped inside.
The victim was transported via ambulance to a local hospital with unspecified injuries.
(Updated on 12/24/22) A serious crash blocked Langston Blvd at the intersection with N. Harrison Street.
Dispatchers received numerous calls about a head-on crash at the intersection around 2:15 p.m., according to scanner traffic. One driver was reported to be unconscious and in critical condition, though it was not immediately clear whether that was from the crash itself or a medical emergency.
The intersection, adjacent to the busy Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, was closed while police investigate and document the scene. It reopened around 4 p.m.
On Saturday, Arlington County police confirmed that a driver, age 84, suffered a medical emergency and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. From ACPD:
The Arlington County Police Department is conducting a death investigation after a driver suffered an apparent medical emergency on Friday, December 23.
At approximately 2:12 p.m. on December 23, police were dispatched to the report of a crash with unknown conditions at the intersection of Langston Boulevard and N. Harrison Street. Upon arrival, officers located the two-involved vehicles in the westbound lanes of Langston Boulevard.
The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the striking vehicle was traveling eastbound on Langston Boulevard when he suffered an apparent medical emergency before continuing into the westbound lanes of traffic and striking the other vehicle. Medics performed lifesaving measures before transporting the driver of the striking vehicle, an 84-year-old male, to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. No other injuries were reported. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death.
This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
(Updated at 11 a.m.) There was yet another crash this morning involving an overturned vehicle in the “usual spot” on the GW Parkway.
Today’s wreck was reported around 8 a.m. on the northbound lanes of the GW Parkway, in a bend in the road near the Key Bridge. No one in the overturned SUV was trapped and only minor injuries were reported, according to scanner traffic.
The crash resulted in lane closures and backed up traffic on the Parkway for part of the morning rush hour.
LOCATION: NB George Washington Parkway/ Key Bridge
INCIDENT: Traffic Collision
IMPACT: The North Bound lanes of George Washington Parkway have been shut down from Memorial to Key Bridge. Seek alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/tXZcIPQfux— Arlington Alert (@ArlingtonAlert) December 16, 2022
This particular portion of the Parkway, as evidenced by the pockmarked stone wall and ripped-up grass, has seen numerous crash, particular when the roadway is wet.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has been in touch with the National Park Service about safety on the GW Parkway, a spokesman told ARLnow this morning.
“Congressman Beyer’s office is in regular communication with NPS to improve safety including in that section of the parkway,” said Deputy Chief of Staff Aaron Fritschner. “The [Park Service] has indicated it is working to adjust signage to slow speeds in that specific area, which Rep. Beyer fully supports. The topography in that area makes any major structural road changes extremely difficult.”
ARLnow reported on recent crashes there on Oct. 2, Oct. 4, Oct. 5 (with overturned vehicle), and Oct. 31 (also with overturned vehicle). Other notable crashes nearby on the GW Parkway but not in that exact spot have been reported in February (with overturned vehicle and critical injury), November, and yesterday afternoon (with overturned vehicle).
We have another rainy day overturned vehicle on the GW Parkway in Arlington. This crash happened in the northbound lanes near TR Bridge. ACFD on scene, with traffic backing up past the Memorial Bridge. pic.twitter.com/cGjzCDw4ju
— Arlington Now (@ARLnowDOTcom) December 15, 2022
Two people were rescued from a precarious situation in Glencarlyn Park on Friday.
The driver of an SUV reportedly mistook the gas for the brake in the parking lot of the Long Branch Nature Center, sending it over an embankment and nearly into the creek below.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene around 8:30 a.m. They stabilized the vehicle before helping the two people inside get safely back up to level ground. They were both taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Arlington County has seen several vehicles driven or nearly driven into creeks over the years, including in 2018 along Columbia Pike and in 2019 in Bluemont Park.
On 12/2 ACFD responded for a single vehicle crash in the 600 BLK of S. Carlin Springs Rd. Crews found a vehicle that was hanging on the rocks above a creek. The car was stabilized, and the occupants removed. 2 individuals were transported to an area hospital with NLT injuries. pic.twitter.com/1EfEaq61uF
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) December 5, 2022
A box truck has overturned on a residential North Arlington street.
The crash happened just after 11 a.m. at the intersection of N. Lexington Street and 22nd Street N., on the border of the Leeway-Overlee and Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhoods, south of Langston Blvd. It appeared to involve a truck collecting donations for the Vietnam Veterans of America and a BMW sport utility vehicle.
Initial reports suggest that the truck driver was treated by medics on scene after suffering minor injuries.
N. Lexington Street is currently blocked by police, though a local resident who was out walking her dog is attempting to direct traffic.
Jay Westcott contributed to this report
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Storefront safety is now top-of-mind for Ireland’s Four Courts after a rideshare driver plowed into the pub and sparked a fire, seriously injuring several people.
While those injured were inside the restaurant, safety advocates say this crash demonstrates why many have concerns about outdoor dining and nightlife, as well as traffic configurations that rely on everyone driving perfectly. For Four Courts, the crash is a chance to rebuild with a greater focus on safety.
“Since the accident, storefront and patio safety is most definitely our highest priority as we plan our reopening,” Managing Partner Dave Cahill said. “I think installing safety bollards in the front of business locations like ours would eliminate the risk of vehicles crashing into buildings and pedestrians.”
Arlington County is more than a year into an initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. But because storefront crashes like this one are so rare, they aren’t the focus of Vision Zero efforts, according to the county. Instead, this initiative to eliminate traffic serious injuries and fatalities focuses on locations within Arlington’s High Injury Network.
“These types of crashes are often high-profile, but are uncommon,” says Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien.
Since 2017, 0.25% of total critical crashes, or 32 out of 13,035, involved a driver hitting a building. Two of these crashes — excluding the Courthouse crash — involved a visible, but not severe, injury, while the remainder resulted in property damage only.
Still, it has restaurateur David Guas, of Bayou Bakery, who watched the crash happen, thinking more about safety as well.
“Witnessing it first hand, I had a flash in the pan thought, ‘someone could’ve come down N. Veitch and into Bayou,'” he said. “Technically, it could happen, especially if this is a freak medical emergency.”
Police announced last month that the rideshare driver who drove straight in to the long-time pub likely suffered a medical emergency and will not face charges.
Risk factors
There are a lot of factors that put people at risk near storefronts, according to Storefront Safety Council cofounder Rob Reiter.
“Outdoor dining is inherently more risky,” says Reiter. “Speeds are up everywhere and… you’re always one drunk away from someone accelerating into a crowd.”
Nationally, based on statistics the council has compiled from news reports, court records and studies, the most common reasons are operator error and pedal confusion, followed by drunk driving.
In Arlington, of the serious crashes into a building, almost 30% involved a drunk driver, O’Brien said.
A driver suffering a “medical event” in a crash, as is believed to have happened with Four Courts, is fairly common, Reiter says. Council data indicate medical events make up 9% of storefront crashes.
The bigger issue here, Reiter said, is that the pub sits at a “T” intersection.
These are common in Arlington, in areas of low speed limits and multiple traffic signals and traffic signs, O’Brien said. The intersection ending in Ireland’s Four Courts “was and is being looked at for redesign, as is standard,” she added.
Another hairy traffic configuration is when perpendicular parking abuts the entrance to a store, said another Storefront Safety Council cofounder, Mark Wright, who was hit 14 years ago by a woman who rolled through a parking spot and into the 7-Eleven he was exiting.
While it is convenient, Wright said, “it’s a very risky parking arrangement and obviously parking is a critical component of any thriving, successful shopping center.”
Per Storefront Safety Council data, 23% of crashes involved retail stores and 19% involved restaurants.
