Police investigating after car crashes into Virginia pub, injuring 15
Written by ABC Audio All Rights Reserved on August 14, 2022
(ARLINGTON, Va.) — Authorities are investigating after a car crashed into a Virginia pub, injuring over a dozen people and sparking a fire.
The incident occurred Friday evening in Arlington, outside of Washington, D.C. Police and fire crews responded to the scene around 6:45 p.m. after the car slammed into Ireland’s Four Courts. Fifteen people were injured and the crash caused a structural fire, which was extinguished, the Arlington County Police Department said.
Authorities have determined that a rideshare driver with a passenger was traveling north on North Courthouse Road when “he left the roadway and crashed into the restaurant,” the Arlington County Police Department.
Nine people were transported to local hospitals, police said. As of Saturday afternoon, two remain in critical condition, while one is in serious condition, police said.
Six people, including the driver and passenger, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Additionally, six people were treated at the scene and released, police said.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. So far there is “no information to suggest the crash was deliberate,” a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told ABC News on Saturday. “Background research on the driver revealed no derogatory or concerning information,” the official said.
Dramatic video from the scene showed smoke and flames coming from the pub before the blaze was extinguished.
“Undoubtedly, the decisive actions of the arriving officers to run directly into the building and remove patrons saved lives,” Arlington Police Chief Andy Penn said in a statement.
The impacted building was determined to be structurally sound but could not be reoccupied, authorities said.
Ireland’s Four Courts thanked police and fire crews for their quick response and asked to keep “all the injured in your thoughts and prayers.”
“We are devastated,” the restaurant said on Twitter.
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