A driver ran into the back of a stopped Arlington police cruiser in Courthouse yesterday afternoon.
The crash, which happened two blocks from police headquarters — next to the construction site that was formerly a Wendy’s — happened around 2:30 p.m.
It’s unclear what led to the crash. Video posted by local public safety watchdog Dave Statter shows a car approaching the cruiser, which was stopped at a light, and simply plowing into it. The cruiser is pushed into the intersection before the driver apparently stops accelerating.
Watch: Wilson Boulevard is getting to be a hazardous place for @ArlingtonVaPD. Just after 2:30 p.m., someone rear-ended a police SUV stopped at the light at Wilson and N. Courthouse. No injuries were reported but it appears the airbag went off on the passenger side of the car.… pic.twitter.com/5u3Fg7a9ln
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) January 3, 2024
Immediately after, the driver and other occupants of the vehicle get out and talk to the officer. The cruiser’s rear bumper and window were both damaged in the crash.
Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow that the driver received a traffic citation for “Failure to Pay Full Time and Attention.”
This is at least the second ACPD cruiser damaged in a crash in the past week. On Friday, Dec. 29 a driver in Clarendon allegedly pulled in front of an officer speeding toward an incident, resulting in a wreck that nearly sent the civilian vehicle into a nearby storefront.
That driver was cited for “Failure to Yield the Right-of-Way,” Savage said.
The driver of a Jeep careened into a bank in Pentagon City Wednesday night, injuring a pedestrian.
The crash happened shortly after 7 p.m. at 710 12th Street S., directly adjacent to the Pentagon City Metro station entrance.
The SUV went through the front of the Chase bank branch, potentially causing structural damage, according to initial reports. One pedestrian was struck and injured; they were treated on scene by medics and taken via ambulance to a local trauma center.
It’s unclear what led to the crash. The driver was still in the vehicle when police arrived, according to scanner traffic.
Car just crashed into pentagon city metro! @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/qW2RdYHUIf
— vibe raider (@amoebajake) January 4, 2024
We were at the Chic-fil-a when it happened. Someone was struck and was lying on the ground to the right of the vehicle…crazy. Really hope he is okay
— Code on the Rocks 🍹💙 (@cotr_flutter) January 4, 2024
19:05: VEHICLE INTO CHASE BANK w PED STRUCK.
710 12th St S, Arlington, VA.
Vehicle jumped curb, stopped fully inside building.
Adult male ped transported to trauma center.@ArlingtonVaPD investigating.
h/t: @alanhenney @HCBright10 @RVANOVA01 @STATter911 @ARLnowDOTcom pic.twitter.com/Ch843ve3Yg— Matthew Young (@matthewyoung31) January 4, 2024
Car crashed into the store next to @ChickfilA right across from Pentagon City Mall. The car can't be that fast on that road to crash into the store. pic.twitter.com/bEwTtrkfCL
— Oguz B. (@ogiuzi) January 4, 2024
Screenshot (top) via @ogiuzi/Twitter
(Updated at 7 p.m.) A two-vehicle crash in Clarendon damaged an Arlington County police cruiser this afternoon.
The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Danville Street. The second vehicle involved, a red hatchback, came to rest on the sidewalk, steps away from the entrance to the Beyond/Hello cannabis dispensary.
Officers were responding to an incident in the Ballston area at the time of the crash.
“At approximately 2:45 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person with a knife in the area of N. Glebe Road and Wilson Boulevard,” said ACPD spokeswoman Alli Shorb. “An officer responding to the scene was travelling westbound on Wilson Boulevard when a vehicle travelling northbound on N. Danville Street collided with them. The driver of the vehicle was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.”
“The preliminary investigation into the suspicious person determined the victim was stopped in her vehicle on Fairfax Drive when the male suspect approached and displayed a knife,” Shorb said late Friday afternoon, of the Ballston incident. “The victim fled the area in her vehicle and called police. Responding officers located the suspect in the area and took him into custody. Charges are pending for the suspect and officers remain on scene investigating.”
Watch: Fuzzy & distant video shows a collision between an @ArlingtonVaPD officer and another driver at Wilson Blvd. & N. Danville just before 3 p.m. The officer was responding to a call. No details on injuries. Traffic-cam via @SafetyVid. @ARLnowDOTcom @matthewyoung31… pic.twitter.com/0Y78YKPSlu
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) December 29, 2023
🚨BREAKING🚨 Clarendon Car Crash 💥 #ArlingtonVA pic.twitter.com/0ECv3BX5eJ
— Stay ArlingtonAF (@ARLINGTONAF) December 29, 2023
(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) A multi-vehicle crash with injuries and at least one person reported to be trapped blocked all westbound lanes of I-66 in Arlington this afternoon.
The crash happened around 2:15 p.m. near the exit to Langston Blvd and Spout Run. The person trapped has since been freed by firefighters, according to scanner traffic.
At least four vehicles, including one that overturned, appear to be involved.
Backups on westbound I-66 extended to Rosslyn, while eastbound traffic was also backed up at the crash scene. Police detoured westbound drivers onto Langston Blvd. At least one eastbound lane remained blocked as of 3 p.m.
Shortly before 4 p.m., VDOT said that all lanes were back open.
Update: The crash has been cleared and roadway is now open. https://t.co/COQFifroIv
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) December 28, 2023
Two years ago, a motorcyclist died in a crash involving a school bus near Drew Elementary School in Green Valley.
A week later later, a car seriously injured a toddler who was playing in the sidewalk intersecting with an alley in Westover.
Following those two crashes, Arlington County embarked on a county-wide look at alleys to identify possible problems, from insufficient signage or markings to degraded road conditions. This year, it made upgrades to around a dozen of the 100 alleys it reviewed.
The 23rd Street S. alley in Green Valley, where witnesses say the motorcyclist exited at a high speed and died trying to avoid hitting a school bus, had parking spaces removed to improve sight distances, Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Katie O’Brien said.
Meanwhile, the Westover alley at N. Longfellow Street and 15th Road N., near where the toddler was seriously injured, had a “watch for pedestrians” sign added, according to a county map.
Neighbors previously said this alley was frequented by cyclists and pedestrians, including students from nearby schools, but had dangerous blind spots. This included untrimmed hedges, which were cut around the time the toddler returned home from the hospital.
After evaluating sight line obstructions such as foliage, barriers and parked vehicles, and checking for unclear or worn signage and pavement markings, the county made changes to several other alleys.
Alleys in East Falls Church, Ballston and Alcova Heights had pedestrian warning signs added, while faded signage was replaced at a second alley in Alcova Heights.
Parking was repurposed to improve sight lines at an alley in Bluemont while a “no parking” sign was added to a second Green Valley alley where neighbors said parked cars blocked visibility.
Changes were made through general funding since they were small in scale, O’Brien said.
(Updated at 10:10 p.m.) All lanes of S. Glebe Road were blocked between Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike this afternoon due to a crash.
Initial reports suggest that two vehicles collided near the intersection of Glebe and 15th Street S. around 1:45 p.m. One vehicle flipped on its side and at least one vehicle occupant was reported to be trapped and injured.
Numerous fire department and police vehicles were on scene as the person was extricated from their vehicle by firefighters and transported to a local hospital via ambulance.
Glebe Road was back open as of 3:15 p.m., according to Arlington County.
Traffic camera video of the crash posted Monday night by local public safety watcher Dave Statter shows some questionable driving decisions by a trio of drivers. One driver sideswipes the second — whose car overturned — while simultaneously trying to pass the third, who just turned onto the northbound lanes at the last second ahead of oncoming traffic.
Car overturned: This is today's crash on S. Glebe Road & S. 15th Street in Arlington. Despite one car rolling over, there was no initial report of life-threatening injuries. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVaPD handled. Video from Arlington traffic camera recorded by @SafetyVid.… pic.twitter.com/qQP5sFKBGd
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) November 28, 2023
Relief is coming for a crash-prone intersection in front of the Lubber Run Community Center.
Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services says it is working on an expedited design and construction timeline to install a traffic signal at the intersection of N. Park Drive and N. George Mason Drive, near Barrett Elementary School, by the end of 2024.
Last month, the county told ARLnow it was working to get a signal installed within the next three years. The decision to shorten the timeline responds to an uptick in crashes there this year, DES told the Arlington Forest Civic Association in a meeting yesterday (Wednesday).
“The signal project is on target for completion by the end of next year,” Vision Zero Coordinator Christine Baker tells ARLnow. “We must procure all materials and finalize construction plans.”
With the installation date a year away, the county evaluated a trio of interim solutions while removing and trimming overgrown trees and shrubs in the median to improve sight distances.
At this troubled intersection, drivers on N. Park Drive have a two-way stop sign before traversing the four lanes of traffic on N. George Mason Drive.
Left turns and through traffic on N. Park Drive are the primary causes of crashes, says Baker.
After evaluating temporary stop signs, traffic signals or barriers to restrict certain traffic patterns, DES decided to keep exploring how to add barriers.
“We are also assessing the potential impacts to nearby intersections, such as Henderson, to ensure safe alternative routing,” Baker said.
In its presentation last night, DES said turn restrictions are easy to install and effective. Crashes dropped at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Little Falls Road when similar turn restrictions were introduced there.
The restrictions on turning and going straight on N. Park Drive are set to be installed before the end of 2023. They will be removed when the traffic signals go in at the end of next year.
The updates are good news for residents, who have been asking for a solution soon, predicting pedestrians could get hurt. So far this year, the county has lowered speeds on the road near Barrett, repaved and restriped intersection — adding a “SLOW SCHOOL XING” message.
“Arlington Forest residents have been very concerned about safety at the intersection of George Mason Drive and North Park Drive for several years,” Arlington Forest Citizens Association President Esther Bowring said in a statement.
“That is why we are appreciative that Arlington County has now committed to not only expediting installation of a traffic signal at that location, but also to installing interim measures to improve pedestrian and traffic safety until the signal is installed,” she continued.
A traffic signal was recommended back in 2017, when traffic near the site was studied as part of plans for the new Lubber Run Community Center. Ultimately, the county moved forward with a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon and pedestrian refuge.
Staff did pledge to conduct a traffic signal analysis after the community center was finished and new travel patterns settled.
An Arlington County-owned pickup truck was driven off the side of a small concrete bridge in Lubber Run Park this afternoon.
The low, narrow bridge over Lubber Run is located just to the north of the park’s amphitheater, in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.
Initially, the incident drew a large rescue response to the park, but arriving firefighters quickly determined that no one was injured nor trapped by the crash. They secured the truck in place ahead of the arrival of tow crews.
Police and county personnel remain on scene as crews work to pull the truck back onto the trail.
Update at 6 p.m — All lanes have reopened, according to Arlington Alert.
Earlier: All lanes of the GW Parkway in Arlington are currently blocked by a crash.
Police and medics are on scene of a multi-vehicle crash on the southbound GW Parkway near Chain Bridge. At least three people were hurt in the crash and are being taken to local hospitals via ambulance, according to scanner traffic.
Commuters should expect significant delays in both directions on the Parkway, which also has lane closures due to ongoing construction.
LOCATION: George Washington Memorial Pkwy / VA-123 (Dolly Madison Boulevard)
INCIDENT: Traffic Collision
IMPACT: All lanes of GW Pkwy are blocked in both directions in the area of VA-123 (Dolly Madison Blvd.) Seek alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/9PRphmgcN6— Arlington Alert (@ArlingtonAlert) November 3, 2023
Map via Google Maps
Medics treated two people after a violent collision on a local trail Friday evening.
The crash on the Custis Trail, at the intersection of eastbound Langston Blvd and Ft. Myer Drive in Rosslyn, was caught on camera.
In the video, posted by local public safety watcher Dave Statter, a cyclist can be seen crossing Ft. Myer Drive at the intersection. The cyclist then collides with a person on a motorized scooter or skateboard who turned in front of them.
Both people remained nearly motionless on the ground as a pair of cyclists pulled up and started providing aid. Firefighters can then be seen arriving on scene, ahead of the arrival of two ambulances.
The incident happened around 5:15 p.m. Friday, according to scanner traffic. The extent of the injuries are unclear and an Arlington County police spokeswoman had no further information about the incident.
Watch: Traffic-cam caught a bicycle and scooter collision in Rosslyn, VA Friday afternoon. @ArlingtonVaFD treated two people. Be careful out there. Via @SafetyVid. @ARLnowDOTcom @CordellTraffic @matthewyoung31 #safety #bicycle #scooter #crash #collision #accident #firefighters… pic.twitter.com/EksKuJ9zS3
— Dave Statter (@STATter911) October 30, 2023
Part of Old Dominion Drive is blocked in both directions in the Rock Spring neighborhood due to a crash.
The crash was first reported around 3 p.m. It happened near the intersection with N. Dickerson Street, west of Williamsburg Blvd and east of the Fairfax County border.
Two vehicles — reportedly a Jeep and a BMW — suffered heavy front-end damage. A third vehicle, a Tesla, was also reported to have been involved in the crash but did not appear to have significant damage.
No serious injuries have been reported. It is unclear how long it will take for the road to reopen.
The crash happened about a block away from the 2022 crash that killed a Washington-Liberty High School student.