By Mark F. Gray, AFRO Staff Writer, mgray@afro.com
In an attempt to bring safety to one of the most dangerous stretches of highway in the state, Prince George’s County Police have begun setting up road blocks along Route 210 in southern Maryland. These sobriety check points are not only designed to catch drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the Department hopes it will force drivers to slow down on a thoroughfare where speeding drivers have led to fatal accidents.
PGPD Chief Hank Stawinski announced an aggressive plan to crack down on dangerous and malicious automotive criminal activities. Stawinski was particularly adamant about slowing speeders down to prevent accidents that have taken the lives of children and families in southern Maryland over the last few weeks.
Prince George’s County Police set up DUI checkpoints along Route 210, the site of many fatal crashes over the past few years, however other places in the County are also suffering from the realities of drunk and careless driving. (Courtesy Photo)
The stretch of Indian Head Highway that is being heavily patrolled is just off I-495 and Oxon Hill Rd. near Livingston Rd. in Fort Washington. Residents have been complaining this stretch was so dangerous it warranted aggressive patrolling because it had also become a stretch that was associated with drag racing among cars and motorcycles.
The targeted effort is being led by the Department’s Special Operations Division and is one of many strategies being used to enhance safety on this heavily-travelled roadway. According to the Maryland State Highway Administration, more than 60 people have died in crashes on Indian Head Highway in the past 11 years.
On New Year’s Eve three children died and two adults were hurt after a multi-car crash. Alexander and Rosalie Mejia, both 5, and their 1-year-old brother, Isaac, of Falls Church, Virginia lost their lives when the driver of a pickup truck rear-ended their car at the spot where the DUI checkpoint has been set up. The family’s car had either slowed or stopped behind two other vehicles for a traffic light near Wilson Bridge Drive before it was plowed into.
“We are not only aware of this issue, we are actively engaged in this fight to take drunk drivers off the road and to hold them responsible,” Stawinski stated as the preliminary investigation began. “It is difficult to describe how deeply frustrated I am, because, despite all of this work, a family is suffering beyond imagination.”
Last October, a new speed camera was installed on the highway following the death of 24-year-old Samira Jenkins in March. Jenkins lost her life when a car struck her near the intersection of Indian Head Highway and Kerby Hill Road while on her way to a job interview.
Meanwhile the epidemic of auto fatalities continued last weekend in Seat Pleasant after another single-car crash left three occupants dead on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway and Glen Willow Drive.
The victims are 23-year-old Grecia Sanchez Cruz and 25-year-old Brenda Merlot both of Crelin Street in Lanham. The third deceased victim’s name hasn’t been released until his family is located and notified. A fourth occupant suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.
The preliminary investigation reveals the car was heading southbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Highway approaching Glen Willow Drive when it left the roadway, struck an embankment and ultimately overturned. Three victims were pronounced dead on the scene. The fourth victim was transported to a local hospital. It does not appear any of the occupants were wearing a seatbelt. The southbound lane of M.L. King Jr. Hwy was closed for almost seven hours during the investigation.
Maryland State Police say a second crash left one person dead on the Capital Beltway near Rockville Pike. Two cars were traveling east on the Inner Loop when one driver lost control and crashed into the other vehicle.