UPDATED Woman with infant passenger drives 1.5 miles wrong way into oncoming traffic in fatal US 50 crash and dies, killing 66 year old as well
http://wtop.com/anne-arundel-county/2017/05/woman-killed-in-us-50-crash-drove-more-than-1-mile-in-wrong-direction/
WASHINGTON — Surveillance video is helping Maryland State Police investigate a wrong-way crash that killed two people on Wednesday.
Detectives have collected and reviewed video from area businesses that show Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, entering U.S. Route 50 in the wrong direction on the shoulder. She traveled on the shoulder for at least a mile and a half, according to police.
WASHINGTON — Surveillance video is helping Maryland State Police investigate a wrong-way crash that killed two people on Wednesday.
Detectives have collected and reviewed video from area businesses that show Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, entering U.S. Route 50 in the wrong direction on the shoulder. She traveled on the shoulder for at least a mile and a half, according to police.
“Driving at what looks to be rapid speed, then enters the travel portion of the highway right after the intersection of Routes 2 and 450,” said Elena Russo, spokeswoman for Maryland State Police.
The crash happened near that intersection in Anne Arundel County.
The crash claimed Murphy’s life and the life of Robert Skidmore, 66, of Cape St. Clair. Murphy’s vehicle crashed head-on into Skidmore’s Mercedes SUV, according to police.
Murphy’s 14-month-old baby was in the car with her and was taken to the hospital in critical condition on Wednesday. The child remained in the hospital on Friday, Russo said.
A third car was also involved in the crash but no one inside it was injured.
Detectives still haven’t determined why Murphy entered the road in the wrong direction or why she stayed on it for more than a mile. Toxicology or autopsy results for Murphy haven’t come in yet.
“Perhaps there was an impairment issue, there is just so many questions still left unanswered,” Russo said.
Anyone who saw the woman’s 2017 Black Volkswagen SUV on the road earlier in the day is asked to call Maryland State Police at 410-267-5800.
“If there is any information regarding maybe her behavior behind the wheel at that point, that would be helpful to investigators,” Russo said.
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http://wtop.com/dc-transit/2017/05/2nd-victim-dead-after-woman-drives-into-oncoming-traffic-on-us-50/
The second victim was identified as Robert Skidmore, 66, of Cape St. Clair, Maryland.
He was pronounced dead by emergency medical personnel at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
Skidmore was driving a silver 2016 Mercedes SUV eastbound on U.S. 50 when he was hit head-on by a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, was the driver of the black 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan involved in the crash.
She was pronounced deceased at the scene.
For unknown reasons, Murphy was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 50 in Annapolis.
The other passenger in Murphy’s vehicle was her son, a 14-month-old infant.
He was flown by a state police medevac helicopter to Johns Hopkins, where he is currently receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained in the crash.
The third vehicle involved in the crash was driven by Anthony Stanley, 59, of Bowie. Stanley was driving a 2016 Nissan 350-Z, which sustained minor damage. He was uninjured in the crash.
Shortly before 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, troopers from the Annapolis barrack responded to multiple calls reporting a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on U.S. 50 at Md. 2, in Annapolis.
As troopers dispatched, additional calls were received reporting the crash. Arriving troopers found fire and rescue personnel on the scene attending to the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Preliminary information indicates that Murphy was driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of Route 50, approximately one-quarter mile east of the Severn River Bridge, when the crash occurred. It is unknown where Murphy initially entered onto U.S. 50 at this time.
Murphy’s vehicle crashed head-on with Skidmore’s SUV, which came to rest on the side of the highway in a wooded area.
He was trapped inside the vehicle.
EMS providers on the scene requested a GO-TEAM response.
Shortly after 4:00 p.m., Skidmore was extricated from the vehicle and transported by state police medevac to Shock Trauma, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Maryland State Police Crash Team is conducting a detailed crash reconstruction, and the investigation continues.
MDOT State Highway Administration personnel assisted on the scene with lane closures and detours.
EMS providers from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and Annapolis Fire Department also responded, along with police officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
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http://wtop.com/anne-arundel-county/2017/05/fatal-crash-closes-us-50-anne-arundel-co/
A woman is dead after she drove her vehicle with an infant on board into oncoming traffic on US 50 in Anne Arundel County Wednesday afternoon. The crash response and clean up closed US 50 in both directions in the area for hours.
Around 1:30 p.m., 22-year-old Laura Ashley Murphy — of Salisbury, Maryland — drove her black 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan westbound on the eastbound lanes of US 50 when she crashed head-on into a silver 2016 Mercedes SUV near Md. Route 2 in Annapolis. Murphy was pronounced dead at the scene, said Maryland State police.
The only other passenger in Murphy’s vehicle was a 14-month-old. Maryland State police flew the infant to Johns Hopkins for treatment. The infant’s injuries are critical, according to Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
A look at the crash on US 50 in Anne Arundel County. (Courtesy MDSHA)
The Mercedes SUV Murphy hit was knocked into nearby woods, and the driver, a 66-year-old man, had to be extricated. Emergency crews flew the male driver to Shock Trauma, police said.
That driver’s name is not being released until next of kin has been notified, police said.
“It took a few hours [to extricate him],” said Elena Russo, spokesperson for Maryland State police. “That vehicle ended up in the wooded area on the side of the road on its side, so it took our EMS personnel some time to get him out of there.”
A third vehicle, a 2016 Nissan 350-Z, was involved in the crash, but no one was injured in that car, police said. There was minor damage to the vehicle.
The crash, response and clean up closed US 50 at Md. Route 2 in both directions for several hours Wednesday afternoon. Westbound US 50 reopened at about 4:15 p.m. and eastbound lanes reopened at about 5:45 p.m.
Police say they are not sure where the woman entered US 50 driving the wrong way. Calls to 911 started coming in a mile-and-a-half before the scene of the crash.
Edited 15 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2017 09:03PM by Fox News.