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7 people injured when car jumps curb outside D.C. bar on New Year’s 7 people injured when car jumps curb outside D.C. bar on New Year’s
(about 9 hours later)
Seven people were injured early Friday when they were struck by a vehicle that apparently jumped a curb on L Street in downtown Washington outside a nightclub where patrons were celebrating New Year’s Eve. D.C. police on Friday charged a man with driving under the influence of alcohol after witnesses said a speeding car jumped a curb and struck several people outside a downtown Washington nightclub as they celebrated New Year’s Eve.
A D.C. fire department spokesman said one person was transported to a hospital in critical condition and six others suffered less serious injuries. Two witnesses said the vehicle plowed into an outdoor seating area for Barcode in the 1700 block of L Street NW, near Farragut North, hitting at least four people, a small tree and a pole. The crash occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on Friday.
The crash occurred at about 2 a.m. in front of a bar called Barcode on L Street near 17th Street. The bar has two sections of outdoor seating, but it was not immediately clear if the victims were bar patrons, pedestrians walking by or a combination of both. Malik Marvin Lloyd, 25, of Northeast, was charged with driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. Police confirmed he is the same Lloyd who had been arrested in January 2015 and charged with possession of a firearm. He was free pending a court hearing on Jan. 19.
D.C. police were not immediately available to comment and the fire spokesman, Tim Wilson, had no details on how the incident occurred. “The car came flying around the corner totally out of control and missed our car by inches and plowed into the front of the bar,” said Keith R. Evans, 59, who was with his fiance, who was driving an Uber. They were stopped at a light at the intersection when the crash occurred.
It appears that the car struck a pole or a tree, which was dislodged from a sidewalk stand. Debris from the vehicle and party hats were strewn about the sidewalk after daylight Friday morning. “Three people flew up in the air, and the sound of the entire incident is still ringing in my ears,” Evans said. “Tables, chairs, and people were scattered all over the front of the bar, and the only thing that stopped the car was he hit a pole which slowed his momentum and brought the car to a halt.”
D.C. police and fire officials gave conflicting casualty counts. Police said four people suffered non-life threatening injuries. A fire department spokesman said seven people were hurt and taken to an area hospital, including one transported in critical condition.
Evans and his 57-year-old fiance, Cheryl Young, stopped to help victims. They said the person who appeared to be most seriously hurt was the bar bouncer. He said there was a doctor in the club at the time who also helped treat the injured.
D.C. police said Friday morning that the incident remained under investigation and there was no immediate word on a cause or whether charges were being filed against the driver.
It appears that the car ran over a small tree, dislodging it from a sidewalk stand, and then hit the pole. The owner of Barcode could not be reached on Friday. It was not immediately clear if the victims were bar patrons, pedestrians walking by or a combination of both.
Workers were at the bar Friday morning cleaning up debris and putting seats back up on the sidewalk. Work crews were repairing a light and light pole, and the sidewalk planter that was run over was wrapped in yellow caution tape. Tree branches, party hats and vehicle debris, including a hubcap, lined the gutter.
Evans and Young said the driver was headed north on 17th Street and was trying to turn right onto L Street. They said he was going fast and skidded or slid, missing the road and going over a service road and onto the sidewalk. Tire marks visible on Friday lead from road directly into the bar’s outdoor seats.
Young said the bouncer was lying on the sidewalk and was conscious, while most others were able to walk away with help from friends or bystanders. “Everybody was just stunned and shocked,” she said. “The car tore up the entire front of the bar,” Evans said. “Very dramatic, and shocking to see.”