GW Parkway reopens after tour bus overturns in crash; 1 killed, 15 injured

MOUNT VERNON, Va. - One person was killed and over a dozen others were injured after a shuttle tour bus overturned on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia after being involved in a collision with another vehicle.

The bus was heading northbound on the parkway towards Washington D.C. when it crashed head-on with another car headed in the opposite direction nearby Stratford Lane just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, U.S. Park Police Sgt. Anna Rose said. The area of the crash is located nearby George Washington's Mount Vernon estate.

The bus tipped over on the driver's side and both vehicles involved in the collision slid off the roadway. However, witnesses said Good Samaritans stopped at the scene and lifted the shuttle bus back on its wheels.

"Then they helped with the wounded on the bus to get the attention they needed," said Sgt. Rose, also adding, "There were people underneath the bus, the wounded and the fatality were under the bus. These great citizens stepped forward and helped these people in their time of need and it was incredibly noble."

Rose said the shuttle bus was carrying 18 passengers visiting from China in addition to the driver. One of the passengers on the bus died in the accident.

Thirteen passengers on the bus and the driver and passenger inside the other car were transported to area hospitals, with three of them critically injured. The driver of the bus was not injured, police said. The victims were taken to Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital and Inova Alexandria Hospital.

The George Washington Memorial Parkway between Stratford Lane and Mount Vernon Circle was closed for the rest of day in both directions for the accident investigation.

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