SUV Flips Over on Courthouse Road

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by ARLnow.com January 15, 2012 at 5:09 pm 6,420 50 Comments

An SUV lost control and flipped over on a busy Courthouse street this afternoon.

Initial reports suggest the Ford Escape SUV experienced a mechanical problem that caused the throttle to become stuck as it turned onto Courthouse Road. According to witnesses, the vehicle hit a curb, flipped over, hit two sidewalk trees, hit the front of a BMW, and came to rest near Bayou Bakery, one block from Arlington County Police headquarters.

Amazingly, no one was hurt.

Courthouse Road was closed between Clarendon Boulevard and 15th Street N. for at least an hour while police investigated the accident and took photos of the scene. A towing crew was eventually able to flip the SUV back over and haul it away.

Hat tip to Timothy D.

SarahT

And they thought they could fix the Ford Exploder by putting in some huge batteries and calling it an Escape.
- Christine
  
  But don’t you see? The driver escaped. Escape: 1, Exploder: 0
  - Vote
    
    Bondi and ZimZim out for three martini lunch.
Max

They should really but an overpass at that intersection. Way too dangerous.
- thecharlesriver
  
  Like an overpass would prevent this. LOL. whatever
  - Dude . . .
    
    It was an ironic comment, man. Not serious.
    - thecharlesriver
      
      oh…you mean sarcastic? You’re Max too?
- Andy
  
  No, all they need to do is install six more traffic lights, one every 30 feet. That will fix everything, since traffic will no longer move. No moving = no accidents.
truth be told

The wolf doesn’t appear to be so mighty anymore.
- truth be told
  
  and now the plate is blurred….
meatrocket

How can that possibly happen? I know exactly where that is and its a busy city street. The fastest you can possibly ever go is 10 mph…
Tim

“the Ford Escape SUV experienced a mechanical problem that caused the throttle to become stuck”

BS
- truth be told
  
  The “mechanical” problem was the driver’s foot pushed on to the accelerator pedal most likely.
Josh

If “mechanical” can be described as brown flipflop stuck behind accelerator causing driver to be unable to brake… then sure
R. Griffon

I’ll bet it was an automatic.
- CW
  
  To be fair, chalk this one up on novasteve’s side. If it was indeed a stuck accelerator, then the driver of a stick could always override it, and the accident could have been averted.
thecharlesriver

Another skillful Northern Virginia driver.
jcr

the driver wasn’t wearing flip-flops…it was about 30 degrees out today.

unless you’ve experienced the terror of having your vehicle accelerate out of control down a busy pedestrian street while your wife screams in the passenger seat, you should probably shut the hell up.
- CrystalMikey
  
  Don’t discount the flip flop theory. I saw a dude walking down Wilson today in flip flops to go with his basketball shorts.
  - Michael H.
    
    I saw a guy wearing brown flip-flops while walking down the sidewalk in Crystal City last night, in about 25F wind chill. (He didn’t look like he was part of the tattoo crowd, but it’s possible he was.)
  - sparkle
    
    We know him and he and his family were in the car not wearing flip flops, texting, or talking on the phone. The car had a mechanical issue: Ford Escape Recall includes a problem with the throttle linkage which can result in a stuck throttle (speed control) not returning back to the idle position. The driver of the Ford Escape may encounter sudden acceleration and increase braking. This can cause loss of control and could cause injury or death if a wreck or Ford Escape rollover occurs.
    Make : FORD ESCAPE
    Year : 2001
    NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 00V210001
    Recall Date : AUG 03, 2000
    Component: FORD ESCAPE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    - ArLater
      
      Im glad noone was hurt but if there was a recall on this since August 2000, why had it not been addressed already??
      - CW
        
        Why did my comment suggesting that the above poster not post details of the incident until the investigation and all proceedings stemming from it conclude get moderated away? I’m not a lawyer but I thought it to be good common sense advice.
- Jason S.
  
  We don’t know that the vehicle was out of control, the driver might have been out of control and the vehicle could have been responding in an entirely normal manner to a panicking driver mashing down on the gas pedal.
  - truth be told
    
    Odds are there was nothing wrong with this vehicle that would have suddenly made it accelerate out of control without the driver being able to do anything about it. Come on….how often does that happen?
    
    The reality is the driver likely was in error either out of negligence or by mistake. He/she could have hit the gas instead of the brake and not reacted quickly enough to compensate for it.
thecharlesriver

Unless you’ve experienced the terror of seeing some 20-something heffer walking into an office building in the middle of winter to go to her office job wearing red flip flops, I’d suggest you shut the hell up. Lmao.
- Spelling Bee
  
  *heifer*
  
  And yes, I’m overweight, and I wear comfy shoes, and I know how to spell. Judge away!
  - thecharlesriver
    
    Nobody judged you. Buy a sense of humor!
Jenny S.

I am happy nobody got hurt. I saw the accident and I heard the car having troubles and then driving into the intersection. My only question is why I didn’t se the car’s brake lights on??? The brakes were off too?? It was horrible!!!
- selxic
  
  What did it all sound like and how long did it go on? It’s hard to imagine enough speed for the vehicle to flip even if they didn’t use any braking.
CourthouseChris

We need to know what state the vehicle’s plates are. Even with the pixelation, it looks like Virginia… but if it’s Maryland, I could really go for some bias validation this morning.
- thecharlesriver
  
  Yeah….. cause if it’s a Maryland plate it will exonerate the plethora of F’d up drivers in Virginia.
  - truth be told
    
    It is a VA tag. Early on the plate was not blurred. See my reference to a wolf up top, which was a reference to the vanity tag.
dvan

thank goodness nobody was hurt in a busy area! this could have turned out so differently. also, a huge thank you to the emergency responders and bystanders that helped with the people in the car.
the car was possibly leaking gas and people were worried it might explode, but still, many wonderful people put themselves in harm’s way to help out.
unlike the anonymous people on the internet, the people on the scene showed amazing care and compassion for those in need.
citizens of arlington should be very proud!
- truth be told
  
  Yeah, the people here on the internet could help. I am sure if we were there when it happened you would have the same type of response. Ridiculous…..
  - dvan
    
    Ford Escape Recall includes a problem with the throttle linkage which can result in a stuck throttle (speed control) not returning back to the idle position. The driver of the Ford Escape may encounter sudden acceleration and increase braking. This can cause loss of control and could cause injury or death if a wreck or Ford Escape rollover occurs.
    Make : FORD ESCAPE
    Year : 2001
    NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 00V210001
    Recall Date : AUG 03, 2000
    Component: FORD ESCAPE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
    Potential Number Of Units Affected : 1193
    - thecharlesriver
      
      I remember all that talk about the Toyota recalls on brakes etc…..and then someone realized that most of those accidents were caused by bad drivers.
    - truth be told
      
      Doesn’t look like a 10 year old car in the pictures.
  - thecharlesriver
    
    We could “help” huh? I don’t think so buddy. None of these comments are personally directed at any named person. And since the accident already occurred and hurt nobody, none of us can “help.” Stop your silly weeping!
- CourthouseChris
  
  I’d like to know what level of compassion is required of us “people on the internet” the day after an incident that hurt no one.
  - dvan
    
    no compassion is “required”. just a suggestion!
    life’s precarious situations are often great outlets for humor… so please if you think of something truly funny… go for it!
    i like a few of the funny comments. just glad i am still able to read them and that the vehicle did not do more harm than it did.
jcr

the same people who are all “lmao” and snarky when commenting on a random stranger’s car crash would no doubt be upset, freaked out, and (hopefully, but I’m not sure with this crowd) grateful to the bystanders who helped out if they were in the same position. recognizing and being mindful of this fact in one’s commentary — THIS is the type of empathy and compassion being referred to. not expecting anybody to teleport back to yesterday and pull somebody from a crumpled SUV. interesting how many people are getting defensive on this point though, considering that “nobody got hurt” and there’s “nothing you could do anyway”.
- thecharlesriver
  
  If simply responding to your comments, just as people respond to most comments here amounts to being “defensive” then so be it. I think the humor being expressed here is indicative of secure healthy people who don’t find the need to contrive a load of crap just to make ourselves “feel good.” I’d much rather be snarky, than uptight and stuffy.
  - brian
    
    Looks like the throttle became UNSTUCK at some point.
    
    Those wheels aren’t spinning
ArlForester

Glad no one was hurt, especially Dvan and his wife.
Dia

Many cars can have the same type of throttle issue.

I have a Dodge Caravan that the throttle position switch went bad on it twice. The throttle would stick open, and the only saving grace is the van is a manual.

The folks who owned the SUV may have had it repaired, and just the way the electronics are designed may have caused the replaced sensor to go bad also.
J.J.

Let’s not jump to conclusions and believe the initial reports about the “mechanical failure” and the “stuck throttle”. Let the insurance investigators do their analysis.

After all, the ACPD have no interest in pinning this on driver error. If they do, the next question is why people feel they can drive recklessly a block from ACPD headquarters.

Better to have Fox-5 News do an investigation about faulty gas pedals in Ford Escape SUVs, rather than why ACPD officers mill about Corner Bakery as SUVs flip over and banks get robbed.
PL25rd

Even though no one was hurt, I’m sure this was a terrifying accident for those in the SUV. I have also been in an accident in Arlington where my car was totaled, and it was reported on by this website. Even though the other driver was the one cited in my accident, people persisted on concocting wild theories about the accident in the comment section. As in this accident, those comments serve no purpose whatsoever (I’m sure those who would argue that the comments have entertainment value, but really – grow up).
Interwebs Welcome Committee

Hi!!!

You’re new to the InterWebs, aren’t you? I’d advise a thick skin. Or, at least, a thicker one.
truth

i hope the previous posters come back and check for updates after leaving their ignorant comments.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/feds-investigate-ford-escape-and-mazda-tribute-suvs-for-complaints-about-sticky-throttles/2012/07/17/gJQA7BiprW_story.html

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