ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. – An entire crew of road workers were injured – some critically – after a suspected drunk driver struck the group on an interstate in northern Virginia early Thursday morning.
The collision occurred on the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 around 12:20 a.m. just past the Lee Highway exit in Arlington County, according to the Arlington Fire Department.
“An entire crew of road workers struck by a vehicle on 66WB,” the rescue agency said.
The Virginia State Police told FOX 5 a GMC Yukon struck a total of six construction workers on the interstate.
Three people were riding in the SUV, two of whom tried to flee the scene before they were taken into custody, according to state police.
Arlington Fire said that an EMS task force of units from Arlington County Fire as well as Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department transported eight people to area trauma centers, including some with “critical injuries.”
However, none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening, according to reports.
Officials told FOX 5 the driver of the GMC has been arrested for DUI, and the collision remains under investigation. Kevin Blyther, 44, of Centreville, has been charged with driving while intoxicated, one felony count for failure to stop at the scene of a crash involving an injury, and one count of driving on a suspended/revoked license.
The roadway was closed for several hours as a result of the crash, but has since reopened for the morning rush hour.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s NoVa District commented on the incident via Twitter with a simple message: stop driving drunk.
“We’re just not in the mood to post something cute,” the agency said.
We’re just not in the mood to post something cute.
This AM, a SUV crashed into our contractor’s work zone on I-66, sending 6 people to the hospital.
So stop driving drunk, into work zones, hitting people, then trying to flee.
Thank you @VSPPIO @ArlingtonVaFD @ArlingtonVaPD! pic.twitter.com/18cFhBkDKX
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) December 5, 2019
“This AM, a SUV crashed into our contractor’s work zone on I-66, sending 6 people to the hospital,” VDOT continued. “So stop driving drunk, into work zones, hitting people, then trying to flee.”
