A woman was seriously hurt after a tow truck struck her in Northeast D.C., leaving her pinned beneath the vehicle until firefighters could pull her free. The crash happened on the 2600 block of 24th Street NE, and the woman was rushed to the hospital following the extrication.
According to DC News Now, DC Fire and EMS responders were called to reports of a person trapped underneath a tow truck. Firefighters extricated the woman and transported her to the hospital, the outlet reported, citing the fire department. The tow truck driver was evaluated at the scene but refused treatment, per the same report.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the incident, according to the station's report.
A Corridor With a History of Close Calls
This isn't the first time the 24th Street NE corridor has seen a pedestrian pinned beneath a vehicle. In November 2002, a 90-year-old resident was killed on the 1800 block of 24th Street NE after a car jumped a curb and trapped her beneath a parked vehicle, requiring fire department extrication efforts at the time, per a historical account of the incident.
When crashes involve fatalities or life-threatening injuries, MPD's Major Crash Investigation Unit is generally tasked with conducting specialized crash reconstructions, according to a report from the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor. It's not clear from available reporting whether that unit has taken up this particular case.
DC's Traffic Death Toll Nearly Doubles in 2026
The crash lands amid a sharp rebound in D.C. traffic fatalities this year. As of September 2026, the Metropolitan Police Department had recorded 29 traffic fatalities citywide, nearly double the 15 recorded at the same point in 2025, according to data compiled by Gelb & Gelb. That surge follows a 2025 that saw just 25 total traffic deaths citywide, the District's lowest annual count since 2012 and a steep drop from the 52 deaths recorded in both 2023 and 2024, per the Washington Area Bicyclist Association.
Under Mayor Muriel Bowser's Vision Zero initiative, District agencies have rolled out safety upgrades including leading pedestrian intervals at signalized intersections and doubled speeding fines in designated school zones, according to WUSA9. Despite those measures, this year's fatality numbers show the city struggling to hold onto the previous year's gains.
What DC Law Says About Pedestrian Right-of-Way
District law places specific obligations on drivers around pedestrians. D.C. Code § 50-2201.28 requires motorists to stop and remain stopped for pedestrians crossing within any marked or unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, according to Regan Zambri Long. Separately, 18 DCMR § 2103 requires drivers turning at intersections to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in adjacent crosswalks regardless of whether the vehicle has a green light or turning arrow, the firm notes.
For injured pedestrians, D.C.'s Vulnerable User Collision Recovery Amendment Act of 2020, codified at D.C. Code § 50-2204.52, allows recovery of civil damages as long as the pedestrian's share of fault does not exceed 50 percent, according to Regan Zambri Long.
The tow-truck crash occurred on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
