Where DC drivers have jumped curbs in May (so far)
We’re not quite halfway through May, but this month alone it’s evident that you don’t have to be in the street to end up in the path of a motorist.
In the first 10 days of May alone, we’ve counted at least six separate reported incidents of drivers crashing their cars where they’re not supposed to be: into sidewalks and buildings. Injuries have been reported; people have been displaced from their homes.
You’d be forgiven for not being able to keep track of it all. So we gathered up all the incidents we could find. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of where drivers have jumped curbs in DC so far this month:
Mount Vernon Square
Two pedestrians were struck by the driver of an SUV while standing on the sidewalk at Mount Vernon Square, according to a DC Fire and EMS spokesperson.
Couple struck by SUV at Mt. Vernon Sq-DC. NEWS PHOTOS: @districtheli https://t.co/Ts7oGm9Hxu pic.twitter.com/nBnnlgCNeM
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) May 9, 2021
The incident was dispatched at around 12:15 am on May 9. The man and woman who were on the sidewalk were both transported to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Three other pedestrians and three bicyclists have been injured in crashes around Mount Vernon Square since the start of 2020 according to DC crash data.
The steps of Bunker Hill Elementary School
A car crash on Michigan Avenue NE sent one car crashing onto the steps outside Bunker Hill Elementary School just before 6 pm last week on Friday (May 7), WUSA9 reported.
Update crash with entrapment 1400 block Michigan Ave NE. #DCsBravest working to extricate 1 person trapped in a vehicle. pic.twitter.com/34LLtXreeL
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) May 7, 2021
DC emergency crews had to rescue one driver, who was trapped inside her vehicle, and both drivers sustained non-life threatening injuries.
Neighbors told WUSA9 that crashes along that stretch of Michigan Avenue NE regularly end up in front yards. Just four blocks from Friday’s crash is the spot where a cyclist was struck and killed by the driver of a Children’s National shuttle in March.
A Northeast DC apartment building
Six tenants were displaced after a driver crashed into a two-story apartment building on Pineview Court NE last week, WUSA9 reported.
Update vehicle into structure 3000 block Pineview Ct. SE. 1 victim removed from the vehicle and transported with serious injuries. Building that was struck was 2 story apartment building. #DCsBravest collapse specialists are assessing the structure. pic.twitter.com/1ZzVUNldxS
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) May 6, 2021
The driver was hospitalized with serious injuries after the May 5 crash, and the building’s tenants were displaced as a temporary brace was installed to keep the building from collapsing.
A Northwest DC office space
Just a day after the building was struck in Northeast, another driver crashed into an unoccupied office space at the corner of 13th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW on May 6.
Structural damage incident 13th & Mass. Ave NW. Vehicle struck building. 1 patient removed from vehicle being evaluated for minor injuries. #DCsBravest are evaluating for structural issues. Residents evacuated where necessary. Collapse zone established. pic.twitter.com/9oAmRrBjg2
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) May 7, 2021
Update vehicle hit building 13th & Mass. Ave NW. #DCsBravest special operations personnel determined damage is cosmetic only & there are no structural integrity issues. Vehicle struck an unoccupied office space. All residents allowed to return. @dcra inspector requested. pic.twitter.com/XMx969ijWT
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) May 7, 2021
According to the DC Fire and EMS Twitter account, the driver was evaluated for minor injuries. Some residents were evacuated to check for structural integrity but later allowed to return.
A Logan Circle apartment building
A driver crashed into an apartment building in Logan Circle around 2 pm on May 2, a DC Fire and EMS spokesperson said.
How did this happen? 11 & Rhode Island NW. Looks like people are ok. @PoPville pic.twitter.com/tqpEVG0Qas
— col. (@coldbip) May 2, 2021
The crash involved two drivers, and one person was transported with minor injuries. According to DC Fire and EMS, the car hit a retaining wall and there was no structural damage.
A sidewalk in Hill East
No buildings were harmed in the making of this car crash — just a sidewalk and light pole at the corner of 17th Street and Massachusetts Avenue SE on May 5 in the afternoon.
Driver smashed their car into the sidewalk and light pole at 17th St SE Speedway and Massachusetts Avenue. pic.twitter.com/wJE3OoGoJZ
— JDAntos (@JDAntos) May 5, 2021
DC Fire and EMS were dispatched but did not transport anyone with injuries.