A mobile lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport crashed into a concourse dock, sending 18 people to the hospital on Monday afternoon, authorities say.
Passengers were forced to evacuate using the people mover’s stairs.
The vehicle was shuttling passengers to Concourse D when it “struck the dock at an angle as it was pulling up to the building” at about 4:30 p.m., a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokeswoman said. The airport remained open and operating as usual, she said.
Video shows a large emergency response.
All 18 people who were hurt had injuries described as non-life-threatening.
A photo taken by a passenger appears to show some damage inside the concourse.
The mobile lounge vehicles carry passengers to areas of the airport that offer international flights or sections that are difficult to access via the airport’s train system. The vehicles were first deployed when the airport opened in the 1960s.
The News4 I-Team found in a 2017 investigation that the mobile lounges were involved in at least 16 crashes or mishaps in the prior 10 years, including one that was deadly and others in which passengers were hurt. The incidents raised questions about the safety of the mobile lounge system.
In 2022, two passengers were taken to the hospital and 12 more were evaluated for injuries after a mobile lounge at Dulles struck a jersey barrier.
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