The Sheriff’s Office is investigating a crash involving three vehicles and a bicycle near the entrance to Northern Virginia Community College, which sent six people to area hospitals Tuesday, Aug. 14.
At approximately 3:50 p.m., Sterling resident Ximena Altuzarra, traveling west of Route 7, ran a red light in a 2007 black Ford Focus at the intersection of Route 7, Campus Drive and Bartholomew Fair Drive, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
After she went through the red light, she hit a 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage driven by Herndon resident Mohammad Umar, who was trying to cross Route 7 from Bartholomew Fair Drive on a green traffic signal.
Then, Altuzarra lost control of her car and struck a 1992 Honda Accord, driven by David Andritis of Sterling, who was waiting at the light on Campus Drive to proceed west on Route 7.
Altuzarra then struck Evelyn Alvarado on a bicycle on Campus Drive.
Kraig Troxell, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said Umar and a passenger were transported to the Inova Loudoun Campus in Lansdowne with nonlife-threatening injuries. Altuzarra and two passengers were taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries and Alvarado was airlifted to Inova Fairfax with life-threatening injuries.
She was listed in stable condition.
"She has significant injuries, broken bones," Troxell said. "She was just sitting on the curb along Campus Drive waiting to cross."
LIKE THE MAJORITY of Northern Virginia Community College students, Luan Lai enters at exits out of Campus Drive every day.
Lai, a second-year student at the Loudoun campus, said he finds it easy to get onto and out of campus via Campus Drive during off-peak hours.
"Rush hour can be pretty dangerous," he said. "You have to watch the other cars."
WHILE THE Sheriff’s Office is looking into the installation of red-light cameras, Sheriff Steve Simpson said he is only looking into installing them at the most dangerous intersections.
"I’d like to install them in the key intersections, the one’s that are hardest to enforce and have the highest accident rate," he said.
Simpson said he plans to look into the cameras, in conjunction with the Leesburg Police Department.