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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Vice President Harris’ vehicle crashes near Shenkman Hall

Rita+Champagne%2C+a+Columbia+Plaza+Apartments+resident%2C+said+she+has+tried+to+prevent+the+crashes%2C+painting+the+median+and+placing+cones%2C+which+has+amounted+to+little+success.
Tyler Krambeer | Staff Photographer
Rita Champagne, a Columbia Plaza Apartments resident, said she has tried to prevent the crashes, painting the median and placing cones, which has amounted to little success.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ motorcade was involved in a minor collision outside of Shenkman Hall Monday morning, according to the Secret Service.

The driver of a vehicle in the motorcade performed a “minor overcorrection” and struck a curb in the 2300 Block of Virginia Avenue, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in an email. The motorcade halted at about 10:20 a.m. while on the way to the White House and the vehicle needed a tire replacement, but incorrect alerts about the collision from agents caused “revived worries” within the agency about its history of concealing mistakes, according to a Washington Post report.

Guglielmi said nobody was injured and that agents moved the “protectee” into another vehicle and continued to its destination.

Video posted online taken from a Shenkman Hall room showed the incident occurred in the 2300 Block of Virginia Avenue, a car collision hot spot with a separated lane and a new bike lane that more than ten drivers have crashed into this year. Residents have painted the median and placed cones near the median, but city officials haven’t placed any signage or reflective material on the barrier to alert drivers of the pavement separation.

The Washington Post reported agents initially reported the issue as a “mechanical failure” when the driver of a vehicle had actually “hit the side pavement of a tunnel.”

Harris’ office was not immediately available for comment.

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About the Contributor
Zach Blackburn, Editor in Chief
Zach, a senior majoring in political communication, is the 2023-24 editor in chief of The Hatchet. He previously served as senior news editor and assistant news editor of the Metro beat. He hails from West Columbia, South Carolina.
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