Five Marshall Teens Among Those In Early Monday Crash

Six Northern Virginia teenagers, ages 14 to 17, remained in critical condition as the News-Press went to press Tuesday night, after suffering life-threatening injuries from a single-vehicle accident early Monday morning, according to an update from Lt. John Crone of the Fairfax County Police Department. The accident occurred on Shreve Road adjacent Falls Church. A seventh teen, the 17-year old driver of the vehicle involved, was able to walk away from the crash.

On Monday, McLean High School sent an email to parents informing them that one of their students and “others from a nearby school” were involved in a crash. Longfellow Middle School, located in the greater Falls Church area just south of McLean, also sent an email saying one student was involved. Marshall High School, located in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County about a mile north of where the accident occurred, sent out an email saying that five of their students were involved.

None of the teens attend Falls Church City Public Schools, according to John Wesley Brett, Director of Communications for FCCPS.

Shortly before 5 a.m. Monday, the Fairfax Police Department responded to a crash at the 2600 block of Pioneer Ln. on Shreve Rd., a residential intersection just inside the beltway, between Rt. 29 and Rt. 7.

According to police, the driver, who was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, was speeding when he lost control of the vehicle heading southbound on Shreve Rd., hitting a tree coming over the crest. No information has been released on blood alcohol content for the driver.

A second serious traffic accident occurred later on Monday along Rt. 29 near Graham Road, involving two vehicles. While there were no injuries reported, a power line was downed that forced the closing of Rt. 29 to eastbound traffic well into midday Tuesday.

In the Shreve Road accident the driver was wearing a seatbelt, and therefore was able to exit the vehicle without needing to be hospitalized. The six passengers in the vehicle were not wearing seatbelts. As a result, five were ejected from the vehicle, while the sixth had to be extricated from the vehicle. “That’s what likely led to some critical, significant, serious injuries,” said FCPD Lt. James Curry while speaking to reporters at the scene on Monday.

Officers worked to find those flung from the vehicle in the dark, and FCPD launched a helicopter to scan the surrounding area to confirm that all were accounted for.

Curry also said the seven teens involved were all friends or relatives of one another, and lived in the surrounding neighborhood. The vehicle reportedly belonged to one of the passengers; the driver, Curry continued, is not believed to have a driver’s license. The driver was released to his parents after being arrested by police, with charges still pending.