UPDATED: Pedestrian Killed by Car on Columbia Pike
(Updated at 10:25 a.m.) A pedestrian was killed by a car on a section of Columbia Pike partially darkened by the area’s widespread power outages.
The man was struck by a Honda heading westbound on the Pike near intersection with Four Mile Run Drive, where the traffic signal and some street lights are dark due to the power outages. We’re told that the victim was transported to a trauma center in Fairfax County and was pronounced dead.
The fatal accident happened occurred around 9:30 p.m. after the driver did not stop at the intersection, despite the fact that all darkened traffic signals are supposed to be treated as a four-way stop. The female driver remained on scene after the accident and was described as “very cooperative.” As of this morning no charges have been filed, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Columbia Pike was closed in both directions between Buchanan Street and Dinwiddie Street for several hours after the accident. Motorists were advised to avoid the area.
Sunday Evening Power Outage Update
Dominion continues to make progress in restoring power to Arlington households in the wake of Friday night’s storms.
As of 8:00 Sunday night, 33,879 Dominion customers were still without power in Arlington, down from 59,000 around noon on Saturday. Dominion says it hopes to restore power to 80-85 of all customers by Tuesday night, and 90-95 percent of customers by Thursday night.
“While we are dedicated to restoring power as quickly as possible, safety remains the No. 1 priority,” said Dominion spokesman, in a statement. “We want our customers to be safe, and we want our crews to be safe. Our crews will be working under extremely trying conditions due to the extreme heat while wearing heavy protective clothing. We ask that everyone be considerate of them and not interfere in the restoration process.”
In a press release, the company noted that it’s focusing on restoring power to larger customers before focusing on neighborhoods.
Initial restoration work focuses on large electric transmission lines and critical facilities such as emergency call centers, hospitals and cooling centers. For that reason, customers may not see crews working in their neighborhoods in the initial days. The focus then turns to power lines serving large numbers of customers and then to neighborhood circuits. Dominion will work around the clock until all customers have their power restored.
