In ‘weird coincidence,’ 3 cars drive into water in 8 days, Arlington police say
In Arlington, cars plunging into water has become something of a recent trend.
A woman suspected to be drunk drove her Jeep into Lake Arlington on Thursday night, the vehicle becoming submerged in a shallow section of the water, according to Brenda Van Sickle, a police spokesperson. It marked the third time in less than two weeks a car has gone into some form of water within city limits — luckily with none of the incidents resulting in injuries.
On Aug. 12, a woman driving a red Mitsubishi went into a backyard swimming pool on South Center Street before she was arrested on a DWI charge. Five days later, Van Sickle said, another driver went into another residential pool — this one on West Beady Road — though investigators determined the driver simply lost control.
Calls then came in around 9:30 p.m. Thursday from people reporting a vehicle had driven into the lake within Richard Simpson Park in the 6300 block of West Arkansas Lane, Van Sickle said. An officer waded into the water and found the driver uninjured. She was charged with DWI.
Van Sickle isn’t sure “why drivers have suddenly started driving off into the water,” she said.
“It’s just a weird coincidence,” she said. “Maybe it’s been so hot outside they just want to go for a swim?”
She noted the Aug. 17 incident featured a Jeep just like the one on Thursday night.
The Arlington Police Department has joked about the connection between all three recent incidents in separate tweets, sharing pictures of the cars sticking out of the water along with warnings. On Friday morning, police said on Twitter, “You know the old saying, ‘What comes in two’s comes in three’s’ — In less than 2 weeks, we’ve had a third car drive into a body of water.”
“Not a pool this time… Drove into the lake at Richard Simpson Park,” police said in the tweet.
As much as the department has had fun with the trio of instances, however, Van Sickle said officers want people to remember two of them involved impaired drivers.
“We want to remind people that they should not drive while distracted, impaired, or both,” she said. “Not only are they putting themselves at risk, but their actions and decisions could affect others.”
