All westbound lanes reopened nearly 11 hours after the crash
One person was killed and six people were injured on I-66 in Centreville, Virginia, following a fiery multi-car crash, authorities say.
Seven vehicles, including a pick-up truck and a tractor trailer, collided in a chain-reaction crash about 11 a.m. Saturday in the westbound lanes of I-66 before Virginia Route 28, Virginia State Police said.
One vehicle crashed into a Jersey wall and burst into flames.
The passenger in the burning car died at the scene. The driver of the car was flown to a D.C. hospital with life-threatening injuries, state police said.
Fairfax Fire and Rescue said another person was trapped in their car and extricated. Injuries were initially reported to range from minor to critical.
“It was the most horrific thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Jennifer Lofquist, who stopped to help crash victims.
Lofquist and her husband Jim were going west on I-66 when the crash happened just feet in front of them.
“We knew it was terrible. Immediately,” Jennifer Lofquist said.
“You could tell by the severity of the cars, the damage,” Jim Lofquist said.
They said they pulled over and jumped out of their car to help, along with other witnesses.
Several of the drivers involved in the crash had cuts and seemed to be in shock, the Lofquists said.
Jennifer Lofquist used her first-aid training to help.
“It’s amazing what you remember in a moment’s notice. You just act. You don’t really think. You just pick up what is handed to you and you stop bleeding and you help as best you can,” she said.
News4 viewers reported seeing plumes of smoke rising from the scene from miles away.
Virginia State Police’s crash reconstruction unit was on the scene to investigate the cause of the crash.
Nearly 11 hours later, all westbound lanes reopened. Rubbernecking delays persisted on the eastbound lanes for hours after the crash and extended for miles.
