NEWARK -- A driver and three passengers were fatally injured when the driver attempted to pass in a no-pass zone, according to the Maryland State Police in Berlin. There were four vehicles involved in the crash, including a tractor-trailer that was struck by debris but had no direct contact with the accident, police said.
The accident happened just before the 5 p.m. rush hour on Route 113 near the Langmaid Road intersection in Newark, forcing the stretch to close in both directions for several hours and motorists to take alternate routes.
According to preliminary reports, the at-fault driver attempted to pass other cars on a double yellow line along the undivided highway with one lane in either direction. The MSP crash team was at the scene investigating late Monday.
The speed limit along the stretch is 55 mph.Very little was left of the vehicle whose driver was at fault, Sgt. Christopher M. Davala said. It was the same vehicle that carried the four people who died, he said.
"The at-fault vehicle was passing other vehicles on a double yellow line," Davala said. "It was very tough to identify the vehicle."
Seven people were in the at-fault car, and three were airlifted to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, as were the drivers of two other vehicles involved, according to a report from the MSP.In all, 10 people were involved in the crash, the sergeant also said.
"The driver of the tractor-trailer and the vehicle are in good shape," Davala said.
Authorities were withholding the names of the victims until immediate family members were notified, according to Greg Shipley, spokesman for MSP in Pikesville.
The tractor-trailer belongs to an Eastern Shore company, police said.
