Annapolis, MD : A young Eastern Shore woman was killed on May, Wednesday, 17th 2017
A young Eastern Shore woman was killed Wednesday afternoon and her son was injured after she drove the wrong way onto Route 50 outside Annapolis and collided with oncoming traffic, Maryland State Police said.
The accident also claimed the life of a 66-year-old man from Cape St. Claire.
Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, died after she drove west in the eastbound lanes of Route 50 near the Ritchie Highway interchange, police said. Her 11-month-old son Maxwell Adrian Ellis was in the car with her and was flown to the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries.
The vehicle she collided with head on was being driven by Robert Skidmore, who was flown to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore where he later succumbed to his injuries. The child is still being treated for his injuries, police said Wednesday night.
The crash caused major traffic tie-ups across the Annapolis area, as police shut down both directions of Route 50 and detoured motorists into the city. Drivers from the Eastern Shore to Crownsville were affected as the backup spread.At one point, two helicopters set down on Route 50, including one that carried personnel from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore to help with rescue efforts.
Murphy was driving her 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan when she collided with the Skidmore's 2016 Mercedes SUV. A third car in the crash sustained minor damage in the crash, police said. The driver, Anthony Stanley, 59, of Bowie, was not injured.
Investigators were not immediately sure how Murphy got onto the wrong side of the busy highway. But several motorists starting calling police about 1:30 p.m. to report they'd seen a driver shortly before the crash occurred.As brake lights began to line up on one of the region's major traffic arteries, the crash scene filled up with scores of emergency responders trying to rescue those involved. Among those responding was the Go Team from shock trauma, flown in by state police to provide immediate medical aid.
Capt. Russ Davies, county fire department spokesman, said it took about two hours and 30 minutes to rescue the driver of the Mercedes. About 4 p.m., he was taken to a helicopter waiting on Route 50 and flown the the trauma center.
The SUV landed on its side and roof in a ditch along the highway after the crash, and rescuers used a tow truck to right the vehicle as medical personnel worked on the man inside.
During the rescue, traffic was routed off of Route 50 eastbound onto Rowe Boulevard and across the Naval Academy Bridge then back onto 50 past the accident scene, said Cpl. Amy Miguez, Annapolis police spokeswoman.
The result of the lane closures and detours delayed commuters traveling through the area into the early evening. Motorists on main arteries limped along at a crawl and side roads utilized to bypass those backups soon locked up as well.
"You're taking four lanes and ... two bridges and pushing it all through a one-lane bridge," Miguez said. "It's going to take hours for anyone to get through."
The Maryland State Highway Administration said about 4:25 p.m. that two lanes were reopened for westbound traffic, and by 5:30 p.m., all lanes on Route 50 eastbound near the accident were reopened.
Among those delayed by the crash were Anne Arundel County Public Schools students. School officials sent an email to parents in Annapolis and on the Broadneck Peninsula warning they should expect "significant delays in bus transportation this afternoon."
"Buses will complete all routes; however, we are unable to determine the exact length of any delay at this time." the school system wrote.
In an update Wednesday night, officials said the Maryland State Police Crash Team is conducting a detailed crash reconstruction. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Source :
Wrong-way crash kills 2, injures 1 on Route 50 near Annapolis