Today’s Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy<doc-sep>If you felt like traffic around the D.C. area was particularly awful Wednesday, it really was: The effects of a fatal crash on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge rippled throughout the Capital Beltway. Fairfax County Police captured footage of the dramatic rescue of three constructions workers who were trapped hanging above water on Wednesday after a fatal crash on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The fire was in the outer loop portion of the bridge. Smoke shut down traffic on the inner loop. (Courtesy MDOT) Courtesy "Coach Gator" via Twitter Wednesday’s Wilson Bridge fire apparently began with a collision involving a boom truck. (Courtesy “Coach Gator” via Twitter) Courtesy "Coach Gator" via Twitter Heavy smoke rises from the accident site Wednesday morning. (Courtesy Shannon Bishop-Green via Twitter) Courtesy Shannon Bishop-Green via Twitter The view from Alexandria (Courtesy Fernando Granados via Twitter) Courtesy Fernando Granados via Twitter A construction worker is lowered onto a police boat that was patrolling the Potomac when its crew heard the boom and saw an explosion the Wilson Bridge. The officers rushed to help and positioned themselves to help rescue bridge workers who were lowered to safety. (Courtesy Prince George’s County Police Department via Twitter) Courtesy Prince George's County The fire was in the outer loop portion of the bridge. Smoke shut down traffic on the inner loop. (Courtesy MDOT) Courtesy MDOT ( 1 /7) Share This Gallery: Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter. Share via email. Print. WASHINGTON — If you felt like traffic around the D.C. area was particularly awful Wednesday, it really was: The effects of a fatal crash on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge rippled throughout the Capital Beltway. Traffic around the Beltway slowed considerably after a deadly collision between a tractor-trailer and several other vehicles ignited a blaze around 11 a.m. on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, shutting down a portion of the bridge for hours. The driver of the tractor-trailer was killed, and thru lanes reopened just before 11 p.m. Local lanes going from Virginia toward Maryland reopened by 2 p.m. So, how could a crash that happened in the morning still impact the evening commute? “I can’t explain why things are the way they are,” said Bob Marbourg in the WTOP Traffic Center. “We had the Wilson Bridge accident, but there are more people on the road at once going nowhere than normally would be.” There were many forces that acted against drivers on Wednesday. An extended bottleneck on the region’s busiest bridge sent drivers detouring through the city on I-395 and I-295. The Nationals game led to increased volumes on the same routes later in the day. And rain may have slowed the pace across the entire region. All of these events caused traffic delays to ripple across the District, Arlington and Alexandria, and the onslaught of afternoon rush hour ensured the effects would stay put. “The ripples in the pond were large and as they clashed together, the waters remained choppy for hours into the late evening,” said WTOP Traffic Reporter Dave Dildine. Marbourg called Wednesday afternoon’s traffic conditions “a rush hour of extraordinary proportions,” adding, “It is extraordinarily heavy not only on the interstate but on the surface streets.” A number of D.C.-area drivers took to social media to air out their grievances. I’m one lucky dog because I’m completely stopped on 395N at Pentagon, staring at this truck for 5 minutes. @WTOPtraffic pic.twitter.com/tngoxxLKG3 — Joe Abusamra (@JoeAbusamra) June 20, 2018 Backed up nearly to the top deck of B/C daily garage. Any wagers on whether we see any traffic officer support on the roads if I ever get out of here? @Reagan_Airport @WTOPtraffic pic.twitter.com/bvLuFNE9Ol — Jeremy Pelofsky (@wdcscribe) June 20, 2018 @WTOPtraffic FINALLY HOME! 3.5 hrs to go 5 miles over the WW bridge from Eisenhower connector exit. Me bum is numb. 😂 — Lisa Lisa (@ItalianHellian) June 20, 2018 @WTOPtraffic Left my office in Old Town Alexandria over an hour ago. I’m less than a mile from my office now. Traffic at Gibbon and South Pitt has been at a standstill since 5PM. — vote ‘em all out (((mrswifey))) (@mrswifey) June 20, 2018 Fun day on the roads of OT Alexandria … 1/2 mile only took 80 minutes. UGH — Dan Satinoff (@dansatinoff) June 20, 2018 Through the early afternoon, areas around the White House and U.S. Capitol were backed up during a protest march and rally of Falun Gong practitioners. blocks-long Falun Gong protest near the White House: pic.twitter.com/3gn1dEzm69 — Andrew Giambrone (@AndrewGiambrone) June 20, 2018 And, just before 4:30 p.m., Reagan National Airport started tweeting about heavy traffic on airport roadways and advised travelers headed to the airport to get there using Metro. Airport garage exits were also backed up, with cars bumper-to-bumper. But, by 7:30 p.m., the airport tweeted that traffic was looking much better, except for ramps to the northbound George Washington Parkway. Using @Metrorailinfo to get here may save time. Traffic is heavily congested on and off the airport due to a regional traffic issue affecting area roads. (Info: 6/20 at 5:45p) pic.twitter.com/ABs24Edb6Q — Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) June 20, 2018 Marbourg said that he and other WTOP Traffic reporters have been speculating on why there were so many people on the road at the same time, but he didn’t have concrete answers. He wondered if people’s reliance on “being guided electronically” through phone apps or GPS may have put everyone on the same path, or perhaps, the decision to leave early was unanimous Wednesday. “The overall bailout volume is really an extreme case,” Marbourg said. He added that weather wasn’t a particular factor in Wednesday’s traffic delays, but the traffic pattern made it seem like people were leaving early on a snow day — except, of course, without the snow.<doc-sep>A tractor-trailer driver was killed and four people were injured in a multivehicle crash late Wednesday morning on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.Maryland State Police said they received calls shortly before 11 a.m. for a fiery crash on the bridge carrying the outer loop of the Capital Beltway. Troopers closed both directions of the bridge because of billowing smoke and a potential for dangerous conditions, police said. Investigators said a bridge maintenance crew was examining the bridge using a boom truck parked on the left shoulder of the bridge. Three bridge inspection crew members were over the side of the bridge in the aerial platform and a fourth was in the truck, operating the boom. Another truck was behind the boom truck to protect it in the event of a crash. Investigators said the driver of an empty tractor-trailer lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the first truck, which was pushed into the boom truck. The tractor-trailer and the boom truck caught fire, and a second fire ignited a short time later when a worker's car, which was parked nearby, caught fire, police said. The driver of the tractor-trailer died at the scene. He was identified as Rodell Jones, 60, of Bordentown, N.J.The three crew members were lowered to a police boat and, along with the worker in the boom truck, were taken to a hospital. Police said the workers are expected to survive their injuries. The local lanes were opened by the afternoon, but the main through lanes remained closed as police continued to investigate the crash. A tractor-trailer driver was killed and four people were injured in a multivehicle crash late Wednesday morning on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Maryland State Police said they received calls shortly before 11 a.m. for a fiery crash on the bridge carrying the outer loop of the Capital Beltway. Troopers closed both directions of the bridge because of billowing smoke and a potential for dangerous conditions, police said. Advertisement Investigators said a bridge maintenance crew was examining the bridge using a boom truck parked on the left shoulder of the bridge. Three bridge inspection crew members were over the side of the bridge in the aerial platform and a fourth was in the truck, operating the boom. Another truck was behind the boom truck to protect it in the event of a crash. Investigators said the driver of an empty tractor-trailer lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the first truck, which was pushed into the boom truck. The tractor-trailer and the boom truck caught fire, and a second fire ignited a short time later when a worker's car, which was parked nearby, caught fire, police said. The driver of the tractor-trailer died at the scene. He was identified as Rodell Jones, 60, of Bordentown, N.J. The three crew members were lowered to a police boat and, along with the worker in the boom truck, were taken to a hospital. Police said the workers are expected to survive their injuries. The local lanes were opened by the afternoon, but the main through lanes remained closed as police continued to investigate the crash. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. UPDATE: Continued delays on Woodrow Wilson Bridge following fire and police investigation. 4-mile backups in Maryland. VDOT reports 12-mile backups. #mdtraffic #mdotnews bl — MD State Highway Adm (@MDSHA) June 20, 2018 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. A dramatic rescue unfolds as 3 construction workers are trapped beneath the burning Wilson Bridge. It took first responder teamwork to save them. #NBC4DC@5:30, 6:30 (photos: PGPolice Marine Unit) @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/74epjpEWBT — Julie Carey (@JulieCareyNBC) June 20, 2018 This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.<doc-sep>
According to Maryland State police, a tractor-trailer lost control and struck highway construction vehicles working on Woodrow Wilson Bridge. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. - One person has died and four others were rescued after a multi-vehicle crash on Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Prince George's Fire and EMS said. According to Maryland State police, around 11 a.m. a tractor-trailer lost control and struck highway construction vehicles working on Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The bridge maintenance crew was examining the bridge and used a boom truck that was parked on the left shoulder of the northbound main lanes. The big articulating boom was holding a basket with three workers in it. The workers were right underneath the bridge when the tractor trailer slammed into the truck they were connected to. Police said some crew members were over the side of the bridge in the aerial platform and a fourth was in the truck operating the boom. In the event of a crash, officials said a ‘crash attenuator truck’ was positioned to help protect the boom truck and its occupants. Prelim info indicates NB tractor trailer lost control, struck highway construction vehicles working on Woodrow Wilson Bridge. @MDSP confirms one fatality. Others transported to hospitals. @MDSP Crash Team is investigating. — MD State Police (@MDSP) June 20, 2018 That is when police said an empty northbound tractor-trailer lost control and struck the crash attenuator truck, pushing it into the boom truck. Three workers were in the basket when the truck crashed into their vehicle. The workers were trapped under the bridge while both vehicles caught fire above them. The three workers were all in harnesses and were were safely lowered to a D.C. police boat in the Potomac River below. All three workers are OK. A third vehicle, parked a short distance away, also caught fire. The driver of the tractor-trailer was found dead. "I can only imagine that was not a cool day for them. Probably very scary, being caught off guard," said Prince George's County Assistant Fire Chief Denny. He said it was a complicated emergency. "[I've] been doing this job 19 years, I say nothing surprises [me]. This one caught me off guard. It's not normal," said Denny. The Prince George's County Police Marine Unit was patrolling the Potomac "when they heard a boom and saw an explosion," PGPD said. They tweeted a photo of a worker being lowered onto the crew's boat. Our Marine Unit was patrolling the Potomac when they heard a boom and saw an explosion on the nearby Wilson Bridge today. The officers rushed to help, positioning themselves to help rescue bridge workers who were lowered to safety. pic.twitter.com/GqGgJCwx6Z — PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) June 20, 2018 The Marine Unit was able to safely rescue the three construction workers, despite some dangerous conditions. "At one point the diesel fuel was on fire as it was falling down on the officers," said PGPD Sergeant Charles Perry. "These officers did an outstanding job! They saw danger and rushed right to it. We couldn't be more proud of their quick actions this morning." Shortly after the crash, a large plume of smoke could be seen in the area. The vehicles have since been extinguished. All lanes were reopened around 10: 50 p.m.