Man charged in crash that killed sister
A Burke man was charged with manslaughter after his sister was killed when he crashed into two trees while driving drunk, according to Fairfax County police.
Police said 27-year-old Hossein Ghaffari-Nik was driving on Shirley Gate Road near Mattie Moore Court when he struck a curb and lost control of his Mitsubishi Eclipse. The car struck a tree, spun and rotated onto the driver’s side, and hit another tree, police said.
Ghaffari-Nik’s sister, 21-year-old Sara Ghaffari-Nik, was ejected from the back of the car and killed, said Officer Don Gotthardt, a Fairfax police spokesman. She had not been wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash happened at about 4 a.m. Monday.
Hossein Ghaffari-Nik is charged with driving under the influence and manslaughter.
Va. traffic deaths double over holiday weekend
Virginia State Police say the number of people killed in vehicle crashes over the Independence Day weekend more than doubled compared with last year.
Thirteen people died in 11 crashes between Friday and Monday across the state, police said. Last year, six people were killed during the holiday weekend. Police said at least four of this year’s crashes were alcohol-related and at least five victims weren’t wearing seatbelts.
Hay in trailer ignites on I-66
Bales of hay in a tractor-trailer caught fire on Interstate 66 on Tuesday afternoon, snarling traffic for hours.
The fire — which engulfed the entire truck — broke out at about 1:30 p.m., according to Virginia State Police. The vehicle was in a westbound lane near Route 123, aka Chain Bridge Road.
Westbound cars were rerouted off of I-66 at Route 123 and the ramp from Route 123 to I-66 west was closed throughout the afternoon and into the evening commute.
– Emily Babay
