WASHINGTON — A crash on the 11th Street Bridge at Interstate 295 Monday afternoon sent two D.C. police officers to the hospital and caused major traffic delays through the evening rush hour.
Around 1:30 p.m., two male D.C. police officers were helping the driver of a disabled vehicle in a single-vehicle crash on the I-695/I-295 interchange when another vehicle traveling northbound on the ramp lost control and struck the officers, said interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham.
The two officers — whose names have not been released — are in serious condition at Washington Hospital Center, Newsham said. Both the driver of the striking vehicle and the driver the officers stopped to help also were injured.
The 11th Street Bridge ramps to and from I-295 closed because of the crash around 1:30 p.m. All lanes reopened to traffic around 7:10 p.m.
The crash demonstrates a typical danger police face in the field, Newsham said.
“This is the type of thing that police officers do — they get out of their cars to assist people on dangerous roadways all the time,” he said.
Officials have not released any additional details about the crash.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
