Police: Intoxicated driver caused Richmond Highway crash that sent 5 to hospital

May 11, 2016 Police and Fire, Transportation

A five-car crash on Richmond Highway that sent five motorists to the hospital in February was caused by an intoxicated driver who should not have even been on the road, according information provided by the Fairfax police.

Kirkland Sprattley, 34, was arrested May 5 and charged with driving under the influence and driving on a revoked license, according to police spokeswoman Megan Hawkins. Sprattley had been cited multiple times for driving on a revoked license before the Feb. 26 wreck, and he had been convicted of DUI within the last five years, according to Fairfax County General District Court records.

Sprattley was not charged until last week due to the time needed to test his blood, according to Hawkins. She could not name the substance Sprattley allegedly tested positive for, citing police policy.

Sprattley was driving southbound on Richmond Highway near the intersection of Buckman Road when his car crossed over the center line and struck another vehicle. Three more cars were also hit, scattering wreckage across both sides of the road. Traffic going in each direction was halted during Friday rush hour as first responders tended to the victims and police investigated.

Two of the injured suffered life-threatening injuries, including one who had to be airlifted to a hospital, according to news accounts at the time of the accident. Contacted in the weeks after the accident, a spokesman for Inova Fairfax Hospital would not give updates on the statuses of the injured patients, citing privacy laws.

Sprattley has been cited for numerous driving infractions in the past decade, according to county court records. Since 2006, he’s been charged with driving with a revoked license at least six times, court records indicate. His most recent conviction for driving without a license was in March 2015.