WASHINGTON, D.C. — A driver died after their vehicle crashed through a railing on the Arlington Memorial Bridge and plunged into the Potomac River during snowy conditions Thursday night, U.S. Park Police confirmed.
Rescue crews responded around 7:30 p.m. after reports of a vehicle entering the water. DC Fire and EMS divers braved freezing 30-degree temperatures to pull the driver from the submerged car. The driver was transported to a hospital in “critical life-threatening condition” and later died overnight, authorities said.
Warning: the video below shows the scene after the crash, but the description of the incident was not correct.
The crash involved a second vehicle on the bridge. One person from that vehicle was hospitalized with minor injuries, while another declined medical treatment, according to DC Fire and EMS.
Following the incident, police closed all lanes at Rock Creek Parkway and Lincoln Memorial Circle Northwest. The Metropolitan Police Department urged drivers to avoid the area as rescue operations continued.
The Arlington Memorial Bridge was reopened to traffic by 1 a.m. Friday, U.S. Park Police reported.
