Police said that the 17-year-old who was driving the car that caused the crash was charged.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Fairfax County Police released video of a crash that injured a police officer and a driver during a traffic stop on Monday.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Chief Bob Blakley said that an officer was speaking to the driver of a car on the side of Fairfax County Parkway for a traffic stop.
Blakley said that the officer, a 13-year veteran of the department, decided to approach the car on the passenger’s side — a decision that ended up being crucial for his safety.
Video from inside the officer’s car showed a black BMW driving northbound on Fairfax County Parkway lose control, traveling across the median before crashing into the car that the officer had pulled over. The car that lost control then hit the officer’s car.
“It’s just miraculous that we’re not talking under different circumstances,” Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said during the conference.
The Fairfax County Police Department is relieved that this crash did not result in a tragedy. This is an important reminder that life can change in an instant. It is the driver’s responsibility to drive safely and arrive safely.
Statement from the Fairfax County Police Department
Blakley said that crash reconstruction detectives determined that the car was traveling at a speed over 120 mph when it lost control.
“The vehicle lost control because cars can’t go that fast on the highway,” Blakely said.
Police said that the driver of the car was 17 years old. The two passengers in the car were also under 18.
The driver of the car in the traffic stop was taken to the hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries and had been released as of Tuesday afternoon. The police officer and three teenagers in the other car also had minor injuries.
Blakely said that crashes and fatal crashes across the nation are up — the DMV has been seeing similar statistics as well.
“We’re seeing our teens involved in more and more instances, and Fairfax County today, year to date, we have 8 fatal crash victims over 7 crashes. 3 of those fatal crash victims were caused because of the driving behaviors of a teen driver this year,” Blakely said.
He said that this year compared to 2022, police have seen increases in citations issued to teen drivers:
- Citations for speeding offenses have increased by 62%
- Citations for violating signs or signals have increased by 98%
- Citations for failing to pay full attention have increased by 181%
Blakely emphasized the importance of educating teenagers and having conversations with them about safe driving to do their part in preventing these crashes.
Police said that the teenager driving the car that caused Monday’s crash was charged with reckless driving.
