Extreme Speed, Aggressive Driving, and Drunk Driving All Cited in Deadly Beltway Crash

More information is coming to light about the crash on the Baltimore Beltway in March which killed six construction workers. Two drivers – Melachi Brown and Lisa Lea – have been cited for causing the deadly crash. Lea was changing lanes in a construction zone when she and Brown collided, which sent Lea’s car into the jersey barriers at the work zone.

According to the Baltimore Sun, “Brown was driving 111 mph when the two vehicles collided,” and Lea “was impaired by drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol.” Both drivers are facing criminal charges.

Speeding is a leading cause of fatal accidents in Maryland

Everything about this incident is tragic, but given what we now know, perhaps it is not surprising. Speed kills, and extreme speeding – driving at least 100mph – spiked during the pandemic. The National Safety Council reports that “speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2021, killing 12,330, or an average of over 33 people per day.” Maryland State Police Trooper Gregory Bunger spoke with WBAL TV in November 2021, and told them that despite fewer vehicles, there was an increase in deadly crashes:

"Not only are we having more people dead per collision, we're having higher speeds, more instances of chemical impairment, alcohol or otherwise," said Maryland State Police Trooper Gregory Bunger.

Bunger took the 11 News I-Team along as he patrolled Interstate 695. He described what he has seen since the pandemic first started and now that traffic has picked up.

"We're still seeing extreme speeds over 100 mph, lots of reckless operation, tailgating, cutting people off," Bunger said.

The fastest driver Bunger caught, he told the news station, was doing 134mph. During the first 18 months of the pandemic, MSP issued more than 192,000 citations for speeding and reckless driving.

But things have not changed, even as people are back on the roads for work and travel. Despite a small dip in the number of overall traffic fatalities between 2021 and 2022, there were still 544 traffic-related fatalities in Maryland in 2022. Speed played a role in 161 of those fatal accidents. Aggressive driving was cited in 294 of them.

Drunk and impaired driving traffic fatalities are down overall

Drug and/or alcohol impairment played a role in 117 fatal traffic accidents in Maryland in 2022 – the lowest they’ve been in years. It’s a bittersweet silver lining, because 117 deaths because of a completely preventable act like drunk or drugged driving is unconscionable.

There’s also a chance that we may see another spike in impaired driving numbers for 2023. As of today, there have been 44 fatal traffic accidents this year involving an impaired driver. On July 1, 2023, recreational marijuana becomes legal in Maryland. And while driving under the influence of marijuana will remain illegal, the fact is that there is still no officially endorsed method for determining if a driver is impaired by marijuana. Even in the event of a crash leading to injuries or fatalities, the blood test cannot determine how impaired a driver is, nor whether the substance is hemp or THC. So, we have real concerns that drug-impaired driving may cause an increased risk of fatal accidents.

The dangers of changing and departing lanes

Lane departures account for a substantial number of car accidents each year. They include collisions involving merging vehicles as well as vehicles that swerve or cross into other lanes of traffic. They are especially common in work zones, as the lanes often switch from dotted to solid lines, and there are exit and entrance points for commercial vehicles.

The deadly crash in March could technically be labeled a lane departure accident, because Lea’s vehicle, per the Baltimore Sun, “pass[ed] through an opening in concrete barriers for the work zone in the median.” Though the exact circumstances of this departure were rare, cars hitting barriers (or other cars) is common.

Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. has spent more than 30 years helping personal injury victims throughout Maryland. If you were injured or lost a loved one in a crash, we want to help. Call or contact us today to schedule a free consultation.