Seven people were taken to hospitals, including three with life-threatening injuries, after several cars crashed near the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., shutting down Connecticut Avenue NW.
Four vehicles were involved in the collision about 7:51 a.m., the Metropolitan Police Department said.
People were trapped in two of the vehicles, and a total of three people were extricated, D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said.
One victim was a teenager, and all others were adults, Maggiolo said.
Sources familiar with the investigation told News4 that there were five people in a grey sedan and some of them were not wearing seatbelts.
Investigators are looking into if speed or the old reversible lane signs were factors in the crash. The reversible lanes on Connecticut Avenue were discontinued during the pandemic.
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Witnesses to the incident described the crash as loud and chaotic.
“I heard a big boom of a crash, and it even startled my cats,” Laurie Collins said.
“I mean it’s crazy. I was just inside the store, and I heard this banging noise, came outside and all I’ve seen are these whole bunch of cars in there, I think four of them in there, it was just chaos this morning,” Tewolde Yohannes said.
All lanes between Devonshire Place and Cathedral Avenue NW were blocked in both directions causing delays, officials said. Metro said the L2 bus that runs along Connecticut Avenue also experienced delays.
The crash left wreckage strewn along Connecticut Avenue near a crosswalk leading to the zoo's main entrance, fire department photos show. A gray sedan with a crumpled front end was resting near a larger light-colored vehicle.
Tuesday morning was deadly on D.C. area roads. One person is dead, and another person is injured after a fiery crash along the Capital Beltway's Inner Loop in Montgomery County Tuesday morning, fire officials said. Less than an hour later, four or five cars crashed on the Outer Loop.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.
