Arlington Police have charged an Arlington teenager with reckless driving after a crash yesterday morning near Washington-Lee High School.
Police say 18-year-old Joseph DiFilippo struck a woman and her dog with his pickup truck while they were walking northbound on N. Quincy Street. The woman, 29 28, remains in critical condition. The dog, a golden retriever, died at the scene.
DiFilippo has charged with reckless driving, failure to maintain proper control of a vehicle, driving without a license and violation of a learner’s permit. Police say the charges may be amended if the victim’s condition worsens. DiFilippo remained on the scene after the accident and cooperated with investigators, police say.
Arlington Police are asking anyone with information about the accident to call the department at 703-558-2222 or Detective Paul Marseilles at 703-228-4237.
The full police press release, after the jump.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a critical accident that occurred yesterday morning in the 1500 block of North Quincy Street. At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, April 11, 2011, police responded for a pedestrian stuck by a vehicle.
Investigation revealed that a 29 year old woman was walking her golden retriever northbound on N. Quincy Street when she was struck by a black Chevy truck also traveling northbound. She was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. She remains in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene of the accident and cooperated with police. Joseph L. Di Filippo, 18, of Arlington, was charged with Reckless Driving, Failure to Maintain Proper Control of a Vehicle, Driving without a License and Violation of a Learner’s Permit.
He was released at the scene. The charges may be amended if the victim’s condition worsens.
The Arlington County Police ask for any witnesses who may have seen the accident to contact the Department at 703 558-2222, or Detective Paul Marseilles at 703 228-4237.
I was wrong. Horrible, I don’t care about his tears they need to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.
Stop it. You still have no idea what the details are. This is a tragic situation for everyone involved. Leave it now for the police to sort out.
Have some compassion.
I hope this bit of new information doesn’t unleash comments like the previous article. It’s a horrible tragedy for all involved and still all the facts are unknown. Let the system judge the driver, send prayers (or any version you’re comfortable with) to the victim, and recognize the loss of a beloved animal.
+1
+1
+1
well said Tarasa.
+1 Dignity
ARLNow, can you close comments now while there’s some civility?
This was a horrible accident and I have no idea what happened. I just want to remind people that the driver — a very nice young man named Joe who is an Arlington high school student — is also a person. We should have compassion for all involved and use it as a lesson for our own children about driving responsibly. So sad all the way around.
I agree.
Was it really stupid? Yes. But this is a kid. He does need to understand the consequences of his actions but we don’t need to ruin a 17 year-old’s life by locking him up for 50 years.
Hopefully she makes a full recovery…
Best wishes to the victim and her loved ones.
Yeah, please close the comments, since NONE of us have the facts, and slandering the driver doesn’t do any good.
I hope the victim will be okay. She must be so devastated knowing she’s lost her beloved companion on top of everything happening to her due to such a senseless incident.
I feel bad for everybody involved.
Tragic.
I agree with V Dizzle. Yesterday I wanted the facts because I wanted to know how the story unfolded and, at that time, we didn’t know the magnitude of what had happened. It’s now clear that the venue in which those facts come out will likely be in criminal proceedings.
Until then, slandering either party, making character appeals, or speculating won’t help anyone.
To end any further speculation, the victim and her dog were walking and struck while on the sidewalk.
Might as well close comments- if it as at all in dispute that the driver used poor decision making when he chose to drive recklessly and without a license. Is it???
FREDTERP
Saying he used poor decision-making when he drove recklessly is a circular argument.
We don’t know if he actually did, only that he was charged with doing it.
We know he drove without a license.
In all seriousness should a situation like this really be called an “accident”? In most every crash I have ever heard of someone is responsible. Accident seems to imply it is nobody s fault.
I doubt the driver intended to run someone over but, if what has been disclosed so far holds up, he is responsible.
I think it’s an accident when it’s not deliberate.
“Accident” in this case is a term of art referring to the incident where a car and pedestrian are involved in a collision. I would not mistake it for the dictionary definition of an unexpected or unintentional act, and that is where context helps.
You need to bone up on your Judge Judy… Just because something is an accident doesn’t mean nobody is responsible. I could accidentally trip and spill my beer on your laptop, but that doesn’t mean I’m not responsible just because I didn’t mean to trip. If a deer runs out in front of my car and I plow into your fence trying to avoid it, I’m responsible for fixing it (or my insurance is) even though it was an accident.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid waste of life here. But the kid is probably absolutely horrified about the result of his ill-considered decision to get behind the wheel and drive when he lacked the training and experience to properly handle the vehicle. I’ve seen this happen many times. In fact, Arlington’s JDR judges are extremely harsh on kids caught driving without licenses and just on learner’s permits for this very reason. This young man isn’t the first to do something colossally life-changing and stupid and he won’t be the last. He didn’t set out to kill or injure anyone, just didn’t appreciate the danger of what he was doing and the implacable mercilessness of the laws of physics. I am so very sorry for this young woman who was just out walking her dog. Now she’s lost her beloved pet and fighting for her life and if she survives may face a lifetime of disability and pain. And young Mr. DeFilippo must live with the knowledge of what he did for the rest of his life after having only just reached adulthood. There won’t be any winners in this situation.
Wow. Do you make these kinds of statements before YOUR cases go to trial, too?
Hmm, looks like Mom’s saying the young man DOES have a license and just lost control of the truck. Well, so much for good information from the police, although why they’d charge the license violations if he actually had a license I don’t know. The reckless driving? Clearly, he’s an inexperienced driver and it’s possible he was going too fast for the conditions. The speed limit in that area is 30 mph and it’s a little hard to lose control if you’re doing the speed limit, but it’s possible there was a problem with road conditions; however, the road is straight and flat there.
As for your question, CW, what I think privately and how I present my cases in court are two different things, but I’m well aware of our local courts’ attitudes about people driving without licenses. This is a blog. We can all express our opinions here. I’m not representing anyone involved in the case.
He was not texting or taking pictures. He has a driver’s license. He is an inexperienced driver that lost control of the truck when it slid. I should know as I am his mother. If you are so inclined please pray for woman who was hit that she has a full recovery. And I couldn’t ask for a nicer son.
I kindly suggest you not read the comments on this site.
Why would he be charged with “Violation of a learner’s permit” if he has a license?
Believe the police report before random people on the internet.
What’s the fun in that?
“Driving without a License and Violation of a Learner’s Permit.”
Learner’s permits have conditions. They are NOT a driver’s license.
An inexperienced or poor driver should NOT be driving a truck or an SUV. God knows we have enough of them on the roads, of all ages, already.
This young man is in my daughter’s grade at W-L. As anyone who has raised teenagers knows, they do not always use the best judgment. This could have happened to anyone’s child, but of course people are so quick to sit in judgment. This was a tragic accident, one that this boy will live with for the rest of his life. I pray for the victim, her family, Joseph, and his family.
We were doing well for a while, but the diversion into illegal immigration (since deleted) indicates that it is time to close the comments.