Driver dies, 3 hurt in high-speed crash on Richmond Highway

A man working as a taxi driver died and three other people are hurt after a speeding taxi smashed into a stopped minivan and Metrobus on Richmond Highway on Monday morning, authorities say. Two of the crash victims have life-threatening injuries.

News4 video shows the wreckage of the chain-reaction crash in the 6300 block of Route 1, on the busy northbound approach to the Beltway. A black minivan was smashed between a red taxi and a Metrobus on the F1X route between Fort Belvoir and Old Town Alexandria.

The bus and minivan were stopped at a red light when the taxi slammed into the back of the minivan, Fairfax County Capt. Jesse Katzman said.

“The taxicab apparently came in at a very high rate of speed, struck the van and pushed the van into the Metrobus,” he said.

Police received a flood of 911 calls about the crash just after 10 a.m.

The taxi driver was pronounced dead on the scene. His name was not immediately released.

Three adults in the van were rushed to a hospital. Two had life-threatening injuries; the other person’s injuries are thought to be non-life-threatening. Police didn’t immediately know how the three were connected.

No injuries were reported on the bus. Its driver and four passengers were on board. The taxi had no passengers, police said.

Cameras on the bus show the taxi speeding toward the minivan at “a higher rate of speed than it should be,” Katzman said.

An investigation into why the taxi driver crashed is underway.

Road conditions were not immediately considered to play a role in the crash, Katzman said. He relayed his condolences to the family of the man killed.

“Anytime we have a loss of life, it’s extremely tragic,” he said.

Northbound Richmond Highway was shut down between Beacon Hill Road and North Kings Highway.