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According to a press release from the Maryland State Police, one person was killed and two more people were seriously injured in a major crash that occurred on the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway. The collision occurred shortly before midnight, just outside of Oxon Hill, Maryland.
A preliminary investigation suggests that a Toyota rear ended a Kia, sending both vehicles into the center median. The driver of the Kia, a man in his forties who was not immediately identified by law enforcement , was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The two occupants of the Toyota were transported to a local hospital. Neither person was believed to have life threatening injuries.
An alleged altercation at the hospital resulted in criminal charges against the driver of the Toyota. Maryland State Police report that a 46-year-old man from Prince George’s County was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and for impeding an official investigation. These charges were filed after the patient allegedly assaulted a security guard at the hospital. A spokesperson for law enforcement did not provide details on the nature of the assault.
Notably, Maryland State Police have not ruled out alcohol as a potential factor in the crash.
Alcohol remains one of the leading causes of serious highway accidents in Maryland. As explained by the Maryland car accident attorneys at Jaklitsch Law Group, “Approximately 170 people are killed in drunk driving accidents in Maryland each year. In many cases, DUI accidents occur at high rates of speed or when an intoxicated driver blows through a red light and a stop sign. As a result, intoxicated driving collisions can be especially devastating.”
There is good news regarding drunk driving: DUI accidents have declined considerably over the last few decades. According to data provided by the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, the rate of DUI accident fatalities have dropped by more than 60 percent from their peak in the early 1980s. At the same time, while significant progress has been made, there is still a long way to go. Intoxicated driving remains a factor in nearly one third of all fatal car accidents in the United States.
Release ID: 473166