Drivers experienced major delays Friday on the Capital Beltway’s Outer Loop in Montgomery County, Maryland, following a crash involving a county Fire and Rescue vehicle and the dramatic rescue of a loose dog.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Friday, a county rescue vehicle overturned between River Road and Clara Barton Parkway, closing three lanes. The Montgomery County firefighters were responding to a group of hikers in distress on the nearby Billy Goat Trail.
During the crash response, a small dog escaped from the safety of a vehicle and began sprinting down the Beltway from the crash scene.
All traffic on the Outer Loop was immediately stopped as authorities and passersby gave chase, and all lanes were blocked for about 10 minutes to round up the animal. The dog was successfully retrieved.
Montgomery County Fire spokesperson Pete Piringer said the dog was initially placed in a nearby vehicle for safe keeping while its injured owner was assessed by paramedics. The dog escaped and ran southbound down the Outer Loop then onto the Inner Loop into the path of oncoming traffic.
Piringer said the dog was eventually corralled by firefighters and is now back with its owner safe and sound.
Piringer said seven people, including three firefighters, were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the chain reaction crash.
Around 3:30 p.m., all lanes on the Beltway reopened, but significant delays remained from Silver Spring, on the I-270 Spur, and considerable bailout traffic affected drivers on smaller roads near Glen Echo, Cabin John and in Potomac, Maryland.
Accident closes the three right lanes of I-495 outer-loop at Seven Locks Road. Expect significant delays. Seek alternate route. #mdtraffic
— MC Emergency Mgmt (@ReadyMontgomery) July 17, 2020
