Crash causes truck to go off Arlington Memorial Bridge, into Potomac River
Jan 16, 2025
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- DC Fire and EMS (DCFD) said a crash caused a pickup truck to go over the Arlington Memorial Bridge and into the Potomac River while it was snowing Thursday evening.
A DCFD spokesman told DC News Now that a vehicle crashed through the bridge's concrete railing and was submerged in the water between D.C. and Virginia.
Presidential Inauguration events to impact DC’s Union Station
Divers were called to the scene to search for the vehicle and the driver.
At least two cars were involved in the crash.
DCFD said one person was pulled from the water just before 7:30 p.m. and brought to shore to receive "advanced life support."
Medics took the person to the hospital with critical injuries.
In an update, United States Park Police confirmed that a person died overnight; however, it wasn't clear if the person was a driver or a passenger in the truck that went into the river.
Two people who were in the other car which remained on the bridge received minor injuries. Only one of them went to the hospital for treatment.
D.C. police, U.S. Park Police and firefighters from Arlington and Alexandria also responded to the scene.
Man with goal to replace government with Nazi-fueled dictatorship sentenced for crashing truck near White House
During a news conference, DCFD said it took the divers about 22 minutes to find the car, remove the driver from it, and get them to shore.
"The ice makes the effort much more complicated because the river is frozen over," said John Donnelly, Chief of DCFD.
The fire department said they did not find any other victims in their secondary search around the sunken vehicle.
Crews will return Friday morning to assess the crash and get the car out of the river.
(Photo courtesy of DC Fire and EMS)
(Photo courtesy of DC Fire and EMS)
Drivers should be aware that the Arlington Memorial Bridge has been shut down and officials said they do not know when it will reopen.