More details emerge on beltway crash
The Virginia State Police provided more information on the beltway crash on July 21 that resulted in the death of a driver.
The chain-reaction crash occurred shortly after 3 p.m. on Interstate 495 northbound approaching the Braddock Road exit.
According to the VSP, five vehicles were involved, not four as initially reported.
Suzzane K. Colbert, 60, of Arlington, the driver of a Scion XB, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
Related story: Fatal, four-vehicle crash on the beltway
The Scion was stopped in the right travel lane of the express lanes, when it was struck by a Toyota Tacoma a short distance before bollards started separating the general purpose and express lanes. Traffic was flowing at normal speeds at the time of the crash.
After the collision, the Tacoma rolled multiple times, leading to a chain reaction crash that involved a Honda Civic, a Ford F350, and a Nissan Rogue.
The driver of the Tacoma, the driver of the F350, and the driver and passenger of the Civic were also transported to area hospitals. All have non-life-threatening injuries.
5 responses to “More details emerge on beltway crash”
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It sounds like maybe she was trying to merge from the express to the regular travel lines right before it splits there at Braddock. I often see folks slowed way down or completely stopped while trying to merge before the split. Really sad, condolences to the family. I usually take the ez pass, especially in the mornings, and I’m going to slow down a bit myself in the future anytime I have to drive thru there now. That whole right ez pass lane becomes a hazard as people get closer to the split.
There is no merge lane. The far left lane in 95 (inner loop) become the right express lane in 495 (north bound) when approaching Braddock exit. IMO, this a design flaw of VDOT.
The most likely reason for someone stopping at that point is an ill advised attempt to avoid the express lanes at the last possible moment. I cannot comprehend of anyone choosing to come to a complete stop in that spot. The deceased driver clearly underestimated the risk.
Maybe the victims car stalled out or died! How can you say something like that when people drive so dangerously every day in the metropolitan area just because they want to be cool because they can drive faster or have a fast car or they have no patience for sitting in traffic! Shame on you!
Bad place to stop… whether or not she knew those lanes ended, its just not a good place to stop. That said, you should always be able to stop without hitting the car in front of you (I’m assuming the lady didnt swerve in front of the truck and stop, but I could be wrong). People should be paying more attention.