rescue

BREAKING: Workers Rescued After Scaffolding Collapse on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/14

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) Two workers were rescued by firefighters after their scaffolding collapsed at a Columbia Pike apartment building this afternoon.

The incident happened just before 3:00 p.m., at 2200 Columbia Pike. Fire department officials say the men were lowering the scaffolding when one of the sides caught and the scaffolding “went vertical.” One worker was caught in netting in the scaffolding, while the other was saved by a safety harness and was hanging from a rope.

Firefighters set up netting below the workers to catch them in case they fell. It wasn’t needed, however. Firefighters using a ladder truck were able to pluck the workers from the side of the building within 10 minutes of arriving on scene.

The workers suffered only “very minor” injuries and did not require transport to a hospital. They were doing masonry work on the building, a fire department spokesman said. Virginia occupational safety officials are now investigating the incident.

Columbia Pike was shut down in both directions during the rescue. The Pike has since been reopened.

BREAKING: Man Falls at Va. Square Construction Site

By Ethan Rothstein

Virginia Square construction fall(Updated at 3:00 p.m.) Fire and rescue personnel responded this afternoon to a report of a man who fell about 30 feet from a construction site in Virginia Square.

The fall happened just after 2:20 p.m. at 3446 Fairfax Drive, near the intersection with N. Lincoln Street. According to scanner traffic, the victim was conscious, but not moving.

Firefighters and medics had unimpeded access to the victim, so a technical rescue was not necessary, according to ACFD spokesman Capt. Bill Shelton. The victim was transported via ambulance to the trauma at George Washington University Hospital. So far, there’s no word on his condition.

Arlington County police and Virginia occupational safety officials are investigating the incident.

BREAKING: Office Worker Falls Through Grate in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/15

(Update at 11:25 a.m.) An office worker has been hurt from a fall behind 950 N. Glebe Road in Ballston.

The incident happened just before 10:00 a.m. The worker was walking to a meeting when he stepped on a steel grate, adjacent to the sidewalk, which collapsed. He fell about 15 feet into a ventilation shaft, landing on a concrete ledge. Scanner reports suggest he suffered head and rib injuries.

A technical rescue team from the Arlington County Fire Department used a Stokes basket to lift the man from the shaft. With dried blood visible on his face, he was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital around 11:00 a.m.

The man, a white male in his 50s, was conscious, alert and breathing, fire department spokesman Capt. Bill Shelton said. There’s no official word on the nature of his injuries.

In his experience, Shelton said, incidents like this one, in which a grate collapses under the feet of a pedestrian, are uncommon.

Two lanes of N. Glebe Road were blocked by the emergency response. A county building engineer has responded to the scene to inspect the grate.

UPDATE: Man Dies After Fall at Pike Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Update at 4:30 p.m. — Police say the 35-year-old man who fell at the construction site has been pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center. Police remain on the scene as part of the investigation. OSHA is on the way to the scene to conduct its own investigation.

Earlier: Medics are performing CPR on a construction worker who fell two stories at a construction site on Columbia Pike.

The worker fell about 20 feet at the Rosenthal development site at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road. He is reported to be unconscious and bleeding from the ears, according to scanner traffic.

A technical rescue team has been dispatched from the scene and is discussing using a crane to extricate the worker from the site.

Police have shut down all southbound lanes of Glebe Road at Columbia Pike due to the emergency response. Arlington County detectives and state occupational safety investigators are en route to the scene.

Woman Rescued After Fall Near GW Parkway

By ARLnow.com

Second overlook on the GW Parkway (photo via Google Maps)Arlington County firefighters helped to rescue a woman who fell 20 feet near the second overlook on the GW Parkway.

The incident happened around 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. It’s unclear where exactly the woman fell, though there is a trail near the overlook.

The woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries from the fall, according to ACFD spokeswoman Lt. Sarah Marchegiani, but the terrain made it difficult to get her to an ambulance. Instead, a technical rescue team was called to the scene and managed to lower her to a waiting D.C. fire boat.

The woman was transported to George Washington University Hospital. No additional information was available about the incident.

Photo via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Crocuses in north Arlington

Reporter Verbally Assaulted, Mooned While Investigating Arlington Arrest — A WJLA reporter was met with hostility while looking into the case of two daycare workers arrested near Weenie Beenie for reckless endangerment of children. The two women are accused of driving seven children in a vehicle without securing them in safety restraints. The reporter discovered notices posted on the daycare’s door informing parents that it had been shut down. A woman who said she was a neighbor took down the notices with the cameras rolling, engaged in a verbal assault on the crew and then mooned the camera. [WJLA]

Trash and Hazardous Material Recycling Event on Saturday — The biannual Arlington Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) will take place this Saturday, April 20, at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road) from 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Residents are able to bring items such as hazardous materials, metals, bicycles and electronics to be recycled or disposed of. The full list of accepted items is available online.

Man Rescued After Falling onto Metro Tracks — A man fell onto the tracks at the Pentagon City Metro station last week and was rescued by two bystanders. The man reportedly walked right off the train platform while texting on his cell phone as a train was approaching. A bystander in his 70s, along with his daughter, pulled the man to safety before the train arrived. [Washington Post]

Rosslyn ABC Store Closes — The Virginia ABC store at 1731 Wilson Blvd. has closed. A Virginia ABC spokeswoman told ARLnow.com last month that the store would not be renewing its lease, which expires April 30.

Streetcar Critics Keep Watch on Financing — The Arlington County Republican Committee vows to keep watch on county officials to make sure they follow the rules when finalizing the project’s financing package. The group opposes the streetcar plan and contends the County Board will go to any lengths to secure financing in order to avoid a voter referendum on the issue. Last week, the federal government declined the joint funding application from Arlington and Fairfax counties for the project. [Sun Gazette]

UPDATED: Pedestrian Dies After Christmas Eve Accident

By ARLnow.com

Firefighters work to extricate the driver of a vehicle involved in a critical accident on Glebe Road (photo courtesy "Dixie")

(Updated at 9:25 p.m.) A 30-year-old woman has died after she was struck by an out-of-control car in Ballston this evening, according to police.

The accident happened around 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, near the Harris Teeter on Glebe Road in Ballston. According to police, a two vehicle accident occurred on Glebe Road in the area of N. Randolph Street. One of the cars ran off the road and struck the woman, who was walking on the sidewalk. The car then struck and partially wrapped around a street tree.

The woman suffered life-threatening injuries and was transported to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. She was pronounced dead around 8:00 p.m., Sternbeck said.

Fire department technical rescue personnel had to remove the roof of the striking vehicle, a Toyota sedan, in order to extricate the driver. The male driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was also transported to Fairfax hospital.

No information was immediately available about the other vehicle involved in the accident.

The Arlington County Police Department’s critical accident team will investigate the incident. Charges may be filed following the investigation, Sternbeck said. No word on whether the rainy weather might have played a role in the collision.

Photos courtesy @CAPT258 (bottom left) and “Dixie” (top, bottom right)

Firefighters work to extricate the driver of a vehicle involved in a critical accident on Glebe Road (photo courtesy @CAPT258) Firefighters work to extricate the driver of a vehicle involved in a critical accident on Glebe Road (photo courtesy "Dixie")

Wreck Involving Taxi on Washington Boulevard

By ARLnow.com

A D.C. taxicab somehow went up a steep embankment, ran into and partially went over a guardrail on Washington Boulevard this afternoon.

The accident happened around 1:00 p.m. on the section of Washington Boulevard between I-395 and Columbia Pike. Initial reports suggest the taxi was heading northbound from I-395 to Washington Boulevard when it ran up an embankment and into the guardrail along the southbound lanes of Washington Boulevard.

It’s unclear how the accident happened, although initial reports suggest another vehicle might have been involved in the accident; that vehicle suffered only minor damage.

The driver of the Ford Crown Victoria cab was extricated by firefighters and taken to a local hospital, according to scanner traffic. Traffic on Washington Boulevard was backed up as crews worked to remove the cab from the guardrail.

 

Car Flips on Roof Near Patrick Henry Elementary

By ARLnow.com

A car flipped on its roof after running into a parked car across from Patrick Henry Elementary School today.

The accident happened just past noon near the intersection of 7th Street S. and Garfield Street. A silver Mazda driven by a female driver apparently ran into the back of a car that was parked on the side of the street. The collision caused the Mazda to flip on its roof.

Firefighters responded with heavy rescue equipment to pull the trapped driver from the overturned car. She was placed on a stretcher and transported to a local hospital via ambulance for what were reported to be minor injuries. Nobody else was in the two cars at the time of the accident.

1/6

Penrose Wreck Sends Three to Hospital

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Fire Department had to use hydraulic rescue tools to extricate occupants of a vehicle involved in a two-car crash in the Penrose neighborhood this morning.

The crash happened around 11:15 a.m. at the intersection of 2nd Street S. and S. Wayne Street. A Ford SUV collided with a Chevrolet sedan belonging to Maid Bright, a Sterling-based home cleaning service.

Initial reports suggest three people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Firefighters used heavy tools to cut the roof off the Chevrolet in order to extricate the occupants inside.

Second Street South is currently closed but is expected to reopen shortly, as crews are in the process of clearing the wrecked cars and broken glass.

 

Man Impaled on Apartment Pool Fence

By ARLnow.com

A man had his lower leg impaled on the fence surrounding an apartment complex’s pool late last night (Sunday).

The incident happened between 11:30 p.m. and midnight at the Wellington apartment complex, at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Scott Street. The 29-year-old Arlington resident was was at the pool after hours and was under the influence of alcohol when he attempted to climb back over the fence, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The man slipped, fell, and was impaled on the fence through the left calf area.

Two people — a man and a woman — were with the man at the time and attempted to help him. The male friend of the victim helped to lift him and keep him from dangling upside down.

Police and firefighters arrived on scene with heavy technical rescue gear. Firefighters cut off sections of the fence and eventually were able to lower the victim down to a stretcher, with a piece of fence still attached to his leg. The victim was transported to the trauma center at Inova Fairfax hospital.

Sternbeck said no trespassing charges were filed because police were unable to get in touch with the apartment’s management company.

 

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