Six teenagers were seriously injured and another teen was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a crash Monday morning in a residential area of Fairfax County, Virginia.
It happened after 6 a.m. in the intersection of Pioneer Lane and Shreve Road, police said. One of the teens, 17, was driving a Lincoln SUV under the influence “likely at a high rate of speed” when the driver lost control and hit a tree, which “caused the vehicle to start tail-spinning,” Fairfax County Lt. James Curry said at a news conference.
A preliminary investigation revealed that most of the teens — ranging from 14 to 17 years old — weren’t wearing their seat belts as five of them were ejected from the vehicle when it crashed and a sixth had to be extricated from the SUV.
Six of the juveniles were taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
The teenage driver, who wore his seat belt, was arrested for driving under the influence.
Police are investigating the incident and believe that alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.
Below is a map of where the crash took place:
WTOP’s Shayna Estulin contributed to this story.
