18 Passengers Hospitalized After Dulles Airport Mobile Lounge Crash
To say that it has been a rough week for aviation in the U.S. would be an understatement. In addition to the massive disruptions to the nation's air network as the federal government shutdown continues, an incident on the ground at Washington Dulles International left dozens of people injured on Monday. Read on for the details of this accident.
Dozens Injured After Mobile Lounge Crash at Washington Area Airport
At least 18 people were hospitalized on Monday after a mobile lounge carrying passengers crashed into an airport dock at the busiest airport in the Washington, D.C. area. The vehicle hit the dock at about 4:30 pm as it was transporting passengers between terminals and concourses at the sprawling airport.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), 18 people were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Passengers who were injured were able to use the stairs to exit the rolling mobile lounge. It is also being reported that the terminal was damaged in the collision.
The MWAA confirmed that the airport is open and operating on a normal schedule. It is not yet known what caused the lounge to careen into the dock and send passengers flying.
It has not been confirmed how many total passengers were inside the mobile lounge when it careened into the dock. Dulles spokesperson Crystal Nosal said that the lounge left Concourse D before striking the dock at an odd angle when it arrived at the terminal.
About the Mobile Lounges
Anyone who has flown in, out, or through Dulles has probably seen the distinctive mobile lounges that roam the premises of the airport. According to the BBC, the airport has 19 of these lounges that help to facilitate the flow of passengers. Each lounge can hold up to 102 passengers, with room for 71 people to sit down while on the journey. Dulles has been using these mobile lounges since 1959.
A report in 2017 noted that the lounges had been involved in at least 16 collisions or other incidents over the last decade. One of the injuries proved to be fatal. Most recently, two passengers were hospitalized in 2022 after a mobile lounge hit a jersey barrier.
Monday's incident came amid a government shutdown that has been going on for 42 days. The shutdown has resulted in record numbers of air traffic controllers and TSA agents calling out sick because they are not being paid. The Trump administration recently ordered that 40 of the country's busiest airports reduce air traffic by up to 10% over the next week. This has resulted in thousands of delays and cancellations each day.
The Dulles mobile lounges came under fire from a former Trump official who was recently nominated to serve on the board of the MWAA. Trent Morse told senators that the lounges were a "relic of the past," saying that they are an "embarrassment" to the country as international travelers use this airport in and out of Washington, D.C.
While Reagan National Airport is closer to Washington, D.C., Dulles processes the international passengers coming in and out of the nation's capital. Dulles is located in Dulles, Virginia, approximately 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C.
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