At least 15 people injured after vehicle crashes into Virginia pub, police say
By Paradise Afshar and Chuck Johnston, CNN
At least 15 people were injured Friday evening after a rideshare driver carrying a passenger crashed into an Arlington, Virginia, pub and caused a structure fire, police said.
Nine patients were transported to area hospitals, according to the Arlington County Police Department. Six patients were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. An additional six patients were treated and released at the scene, police said.
As of Monday, three people were still hospitalized. One is in critical condition and the other two are stable, police said.
Police do not believe the driver acted intentionally and have ruled out alcohol as a contributing factor, the Arlington County Police Department said in a release Monday.
The crash took place at Ireland’s Four Courts pub and restaurant in the 2000 block of Wilson Boulevard, according to police. Affiliate WJLA said it happened about 6:45 p.m.
According to police, the preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the vehicle, who was a rideshare driver and had a passenger at the time of accident, was traveling northbound on North Courthouse Road when the vehicle crashed into the restaurant. The driver and the passenger were both transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The restaurant issued a statement Friday evening saying it was “devastated” by the accident.
“Undoubtedly, the decisive actions of the arriving officers to run directly into the building and remove patrons saved lives,” said Police Chief Andy Penn in a statement.
“During a developing emergency incident where seconds count, the men and women of the Arlington County Police Department exemplified their professionalism and unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of police services and I couldn’t be prouder of their response,” Penn continued.
The structure fire was extinguished, according to a tweet from the Arlington County Fire Department. Building engineers “evaluated the structure and determined it was structurally sound but could not be reoccupied,” Arlington police said on social media.
An investigation into the crash remains ongoing, police said.
“The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation,” the police department said Monday.
Correction: A previous version of this report misidentified the number of people injured, according to police. It is 15.
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CNN’s Sara Smart contributed to this report.
