A man was killed after crashing into a guardrail on northbound DC-295 in Washington, DC, triggering a sweeping road closure that shut down the entire northbound stretch of the highway. The crash prompted DC police to close all northbound lanes between Laboratory Road and Chesapeake Street SW while investigators worked the scene.
All northbound lanes of DC 295 are closed between Laboratory Road and Chesapeake Street SW because of the crash, according to WJLA. Southbound traffic was also affected at Exit 2, the station reported, snarling drivers heading in both directions through the corridor.
Police cautioned that the closures could shift as the investigation progressed. The outlet's report, citing DC police, noted plainly that the closures may change as the investigation continues, leaving commuters with little certainty about when normal traffic patterns might return.
Major Crash Unit Takes Over Investigation
Investigators assigned to the Metropolitan Police Department's Major Crash Unit are investigating a fatal traffic crash, according to a release from the Metropolitan Police Department. Few additional details about the circumstances of the crash, the exact time it occurred, or the condition of anyone else involved have been made public.
A separate, low-confidence account attributed to MPD describes a preliminary investigation involving a pedestrian who exited a vehicle stopped in the northbound lanes of DC-295, ran across the northbound roadway, crossed the guardrail, and entered the southbound lanes, where she was struck by a Ford Escape. It remains unclear whether that account describes the same incident as the northbound closure reported by WJLA, and the department has not confirmed that connection.
A Highway With a History of Deadly Shutdowns
This is not the first time a crash has forced a lengthy shutdown of DC-295's northbound lanes. In August 2025, a separate crash on northbound DC-295 left one person dead and closed part of the roadway for more than 10 hours, according to WTOP. That crash happened before 2:15 a.m. on the northbound lanes between the 11th Street bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue SE.
In that earlier case, police said a person found unconscious and not breathing at the scene was later pronounced dead, while the occupants of the striking vehicle fled on foot, per the same outlet's reporting. The northbound lanes did not reopen until shortly before 12:30 p.m. that day, underscoring how long these investigations can keep one of the District's busiest commuter routes shut down.
What Happens Next
Following a fatal crash, the District Department of Transportation typically conducts a site visit and coordinates with MPD's Major Crash Investigation Unit to consider short-term safety measures, according to Vision Zero DC. The District also maintains a Fatal and Injury Crashes Dashboard, hosted on Data.gov, that lets the public locate crashes resulting in injury or death and filter results by mode, severity and date.
No details about the man's identity, age, or the cause of the crash have been released. Drivers along the DC-295 corridor should expect delays and be prepared for shifting lane closures as the Major Crash Unit continues its work.
