One person is dead and another is fighting for their life after a serious crash Monday afternoon at a Ballston intersection.
Traffic camera footage (below) shows a gray pickup truck traveling eastbound on Wilson Blvd before slamming into another vehicle — which had just turned onto Wilson from N. Vermont Street — around 2:40 p.m.
The pickup was traveling significantly faster than other vehicles on the roadway and was not driving within the lane boundaries, the footage showed. After the initial collision, the two vehicles appeared to skid rapidly down the road and hit two other vehicles that were waiting at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road.
Police shut down roads around the crash scene for an investigation. Arlington County police announced Monday evening that the driver whose car was struck by the pickup truck has died, while the pickup driver is in critical condition.
More, below, from an ACPD press release.
The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal crash along Wilson Boulevard that occurred on the afternoon of January 27, 2025.
At approximately 2:40 p.m., police and fire were dispatched to the report of a crash with injuries involving multiple vehicles. The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of a pickup truck was traveling eastbound on Wilson Boulevard at a high rate of speed when they struck a white sedan as it turned onto Wilson Boulevard from N. Vermont Street. As a result of the impact from the initial crash, the vehicles struck two additional vehicles stopped at the traffic light at Wilson Boulevard and N. Glebe Road.
The drivers of the pickup truck and the sedan were transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. The driver of the sedan, an adult female, was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The driver of the pickup truck, an adult male, remains hospitalized with critical injuries.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of family.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information related to his incident is asked to contact Detective K. Stahl at 703-228-7145 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Road closures after the crash prompted detours for buses and caused traffic congestion around Ballston as rush hour ramps up. Police said in earlier statements that drivers should “anticipate extended road closures in the area… and seek alternate routes.”
At least some of the closures were still in place as of 7 p.m.
At the crash scene, the gray pickup truck could be seen with its airbags deployed. The force of the collision left the vehicle’s front wheel on the passenger side twisted 90 degrees, essentially laying on the roadway.
The other vehicle, a white Volkswagen sedan, was seen with severe damage on its rear left side.
Additional traffic camera video from shortly before the crash, posted on social media by local public safety watcher Dave Statter, shows the truck speeding the wrong way through the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. George Mason Drive. An ACPD cruiser waiting at the light can then be seen turning around to follow the truck.
It took at least 15-20 seconds before the first police vehicle reached the crash scene, according to video seen by ARLnow. Police were later dispatched to Wilson and George Mason for a report of a vehicle damaged by the truck.
Charges are expected to be filed against the driver of the pickup truck, identified as a 71-year-old man who remains in critical but stable condition, police announced Tuesday.
The deceased victim has been identified as a 32-year-old woman: Xuewei He of McLean.
Dan Egitto contributed to this report
