An Uber driver whose car plowed into an Arlington pub Friday, injuring 15, did not intentionally crash his vehicle, and alcohol was not a contributing factor in the wreck, authorities announced Monday, citing the results of a preliminary investigation.
The crash occurred around 6:45 p.m. Friday, when the driver’s sedan left North Courthouse Road and struck Ireland’s Four Courts in the 2000 block of Wilson Boulevard, police said. The vehicle ran through the front entrance and hit patrons and workers inside, before catching fire and setting the pub ablaze.
Dave Cahill, the managing partner of the pub, said uninjured patrons and workers helped pull the injured to safety outside. Cahill did not respond to a request for comment Monday, but he described the scene as “sheer carnage” Saturday.
Police said a total of nine people, including the driver and a passenger, were hospitalized following the crash, but six have now been released. Others were treated on-site.
Cahill said Saturday he plans to reopen the bar, but it sustained extensive damage that will require significant repairs. Photos of the interior showed it is charred. Metal and wood from the structure were heaped in piles on the floor, and a large hole gaped in the front of the building.
A fundraiser for the pub had raised nearly $70,000 as of Monday evening. Four Courts opened in 1996. The bar is popular with soccer fans and local workers. It has a restaurant that serves Irish food.
