(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.
Certainly hope all involved are OK. With the sentiments out of the way, the sheer volume of people who treated all (and this intersection in particular) out of power stoplights as anything but a four way stop, this should have been foreseen and makes me wonder if all drivers need a mandatory re-test of their behind the wheel knowledge. No wonder there is never an end to the increases in my car insurance…
I think people should have to re-take a written exam annually and a road test every five years. Not to get political, but if ObamaCare got the okay from SCOTUS to levy a fine for not buying health insurance, people should have to take these tests or pay a similar hefty fine. Bad drivers are a public safety risk and a higher frequency of accidents in certain area makes everyone’s insurance rates higher.
Residents of Maryland should have to take the road test every six months, just for good measure :)
The comparison to ObamaCare is unwarranted. What you propose is unquestionably constitutional.
My observation driving around the Bailey’s Crossroads, Columbia Pike, and Shirlington areas, both yesterday and today, was that things were going quite smoothly and safely. Indeed, traffic was going more smoothly and with less congestion than usual.
Given that there are plenty of collisions when the traffic lights are working, and when people are going substantially below the speed limit, it would be interesting to find out if there were more or LESS accidents in the last couple of days.
WNEW said that the 4-way stop rule for blacked out lights wasn’t an official law in Maryland until 10/1/12…
LOL…they had to make it a law? They taught that to us in driver’s ed 15 years ago. When you have to start legislating common sense, we’re all screwed.
They didn’t say if Montgomery or PG had it in the books already, just that it was a new state law taking effect this fall.
People were sailing through this out light today with no regard to it. Something like this was bound to happen.
Props to Arlington PD for putting cones up preventing turns, or directing traffic at the intersection of two major roads. Oh wait…
I wish everyone involved a speedy recovery
So much for Dominion’s promise to fix critical infrastructure first. When I drove through this very intersection at 3pm today, I saw three or four Dominion trucks with their associated crews walking around– so I assumed they were there to fix the lights. I guess not.
Godspeed to the departed.
It should be noted that there’s one streetlight working at the intersection, but several to the east and at least one to the west are dark.
This is a real tragedy. So sad.