An Arlington County school bus somehow made contact with a crane in Ballston around noon today. No children were aboard the bus at the time and the damage was minor.
After the accident, southbound Glebe Road was shut down until the crane, which was on the ground preparing to be lifted, was hoisted in the air. One southbound lane remains closed.
The crane was working at the construction site of Virginia Tech’s new seven-story research center.
A three-vehicle accident shut down 23rd Street between Fern and Grants Streets just after 4:00 this afternoon.
The collision appeared to involve two occupied vehicles and one parked vehicle. Two people were evaluated by paramedics for minor injuries.
The accident re-routed the Metro buses that usually go up and down 23rd Street. Despite the excitement, happy hour patrons of the nearby strip of bars and restaurants seemed utterly disinterested in the police and fire activity up the street.
As of 4:40, a tow truck had cleared the banged-up vehicles from the middle of the road and 23rd Street was reopened.
A gold-colored Lexus hopped a curb and plowed into a street sign and a fire hydrant around noon today in Aurora Highlands. The fire hydrant won the battle of car vs. stationary object, but the street sign was collateral damage.
The accident happened at 19th Street South and South Kent Street. Police were investigating whether alcohol may have played a role in the crash.
You might have seen our Tweet about about a car accident in Courthouse Friday night, but we’re bringing it up again because it was so unusual.
Around 11:00 p.m. Friday, Clarendon Blvd was shut down between North Wayne Street and North Adams Street, near Velocity Five Restaurant, due to an accident involving a Honda and a parked Audi.
A witness says the Honda was traveling in the direction of the Courthouse Metro station at a high rate of speed, when its front driver’s side tire somehow clipped the Audi’s rear passenger side tire.
The contact apparently caused both wheels to come off the axle. The Honda came to rest a few yards away from the Audi, with much of the driver’s side front quarter panel ripped off, the wheel dislodged and the front end angled into the asphalt. The rear wheel on the Audi, meanwhile, was at a 45 degree angle.
A Ford Explorer overturned after being struck by a black PT Cruiser at the intersection of Lee Highway and North George Mason Drive around 3:00 this afternoon. Luckily, there were no injuries reported.
Witnesses told police that the PT Cruiser drove off after the accident. It was later spotted three blocks away at 22nd and North Dinwiddie Streets. Another witness told police that a man bailed out of the heavily-damaged vehicle and ran down the street.
Police are searching the area for the suspect.
Board Approves $250,000 in Art Grants — The county board voted unanimously last night to provide a quarter million dollars worth of grants to 19 Arlington-based arts organizations and three individual artists. The grants range from $44,600 to $1,240. See a list of recipients here.
Fisette Pens Green Jobs Op-Ed in Richmond Paper — In a column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Arlington County Board Chairman Jay Fisette compares Thomas Jefferson’s far-sighted and, at the time, controversial Louisiana Purchase to proposed federal spending on clean energy. Fisette argues that investing in green jobs now will pay off in a big way down the road.
Metrobus Involved in Rush Hour Accident — A Metrobus was involved in a relatively minor multi-vehicle accident that tied up traffic on southbound Route 110 around 5:30 yesterday evening. The accident happened on the ramp from Memorial Drive to Route 110, near Arlington National Cemetery. Two people on the bus were reported to have minor injuries. The accident and the emergency response blocked lanes on the busy thoroughfare, causing delays for traffic coming from Rosslyn. It’s not clear what caused the accident. The Metrobus continued on its way shortly after police arrived.
Flickr pool photo courtesy philliefan99.
A car flipped over in the HOV lane of I-395 around 1:30 this afternoon, trapping the driver and snarling traffic. No word on whether the driver is injured.
As of 1:45, the HOV lanes and two lanes northbound and southbound I-395 are blocked between Seminary Road and King Street.
First responders from Arlington and Alexandria are on scene, along with Virginia State Police.
As of 2:15, major delays on southbound I-395 were forming just past the Pentagon. The driver appears to have been freed from the vehicle.
“Looks Like a Supercell” — Yesterday’s storms produced some very interesting cloud formations, which Flickr pooler Philliefan99 captured beautifully. See our coverage of the extensive power outages caused by the storms here.
Ten Cars Damaged on North Rhodes Street — A driver who police believe was drunk smashed into as many as ten cars early this morning on North Rhodes Street. Around 12:30 a.m., residents reported hearing the sound of a car crash. When police arrived, they found as many as 10 cars with collision damage between Key Boulevard and Wilson Boulevard. Police located a man suspected of being the driver of the striking vehicle a short time later.
Arlington Population Grows In Latest Census Data — Arlington’s population grew by 7,300 people last year, a 3.5 percent increase, according to the latest census data. The rapid growth put Arlington on the list of the top 10 fastest-growing large metro areas in the country. More from the Washington Post.
Students Say Parents Allow Booze-Filled Parties — A panel of Arlington high school students says that some parents are regularly allowing their kids to throw illegal drinking parties. The rationale: hosting parties is better than seeing their kids “sneak off to parties where there is no adult supervision.” More from the Sun Gazette.
Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99.
Update at 5:30 p.m. — All lanes have reopened.
Update at 4:40 p.m. — One lane is now getting by. Traffic is backed up to Duke Street.
All northbound lanes of I-395 have been shut down due to an accident. Police are on the scene and paramedics are responding for a reported injury.
Traffic is being forced to exit on Glebe Road. Backups are forming quickly.
A young man is in critical condition tonight after a ladder he was moving came into contact with power lines. It happened around 3:15 this afternoon on North Highland Street, near Route 50, in the Ashton Heights neighborhood.
The man, who’s in his mid-20s, was working as a contract employee for College Pro Painters, firefighters said.
According to Arlington County Fire Department spokesperson Jose Ortiz, the man was trying to position the ladder on a house he was working on, when it fell backwards onto 19,900 volt power lines. The man was severely burned and was knocked back nearly nine feet by the electrical shock.
The man was without a pulse when paramedics arrived but was resuscitated and brought to a nearby hospital, Ortiz said. He’s now being transferred to the MedStar burn unit in Northwest Washington. His injuries are described as life-threatening.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will be investigating the accident. Authorities are keeping power on until OSHA investigators arrive on the scene.
A minivan caught on fire in the parking lot of the Costco store in Pentagon City today. The vehicle’s engine compartment was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived around 1:45 p.m.
No one was in the minivan when the fire broke out and there were no injuries, we’re told.
The cause of the fire is unclear, but the minivan’s front end appeared to be parked over a pile of mulch. Firefighters hosed down the scorched mulch after extinguishing the flames.
Unbelievably, at a time when it seems like almost everybody has a video-capable cell phone, no one who was watching the scene unfold got video of the flames. Not even the half dozen Best Buy employees watching from the store’s loading dock. C’mon, Geek Squad, step it up. –Ed.
Update at 4:15 pm. — The excitement outside the Pentagon City Costco continues. An hour after the car fire, paramedics were called to Fern Street, in front of the store, for an accident with injuries. As they were working on a woman who had arm and facial injuries, a good Samaritan pointed out a man with who was lying unresponsive under a bench. Medics gave him an IV and brought him to the hospital.
