UPDATE 11/25/2020: On Monday, November 23, 2020, at approximately 7:00 p.m., officers responded to the area of W. Chesapeake Beach Road and Sansbury Road for a two vehicle head-on collision.
The investigation revealed that a 2018 Chevrolet Cruze was following a Dodge Ram pickup truck while travelling westbound on Chesapeake Beach Road near Sansbury Road, when the Chevrolet crossed the centerline and attempted to pass the Dodge truck in a no passing zone.
The Chevrolet Cruze drove completely into the opposite lane of travel while there was a 2012 Honda Accord travelling eastbound.
The two cars collided head-on and both vehicles came to rest off of the roadway. Several passengers from both cars required mechanical extrication by fire and rescue personnel.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 4:30 a.m, one passenger was pronounced deceased as a result of injuries sustained in the collision.
Police have placed the 2018 Chevrolet Cruze at fault. The operator is identified as 24 year-old Megan Elyce Dial, 24 year-old female from Lothian and suffered critical injuries. The passengers in her vehicle are identified as Tyler Henry Dolan, 30-year-old male from Adamstown, MD, he suffered minor injuries. The third passenger, Mary Char-Lynn Phipps, 53-year-old female from Brandywine, MD, succumbed to her injuries.
The operator of the 2012 Honda Accord is identified as Linda Ann Halbritter, 59-year-old female from Chesapeake Beach, and the lone passenger as Karl Edward Buhner, 57-year-old male from Chesapeake Beach. Halbritter suffered serious injuries, and Buhner suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Preliminarily, the primary cause of this crash is the Chevrolet failing to remain right of center. The Traffic Safety Section is handling the collision investigation.
The crash was originally reported to have occured in Dunkirk, located in Calvert County, due to the single 911 caller reporting a vehicle fire. When First Responders arrived on the scene, they found the collision and reported the scene was closer to Sanbury Road in Friendship (Anne Arundel) than Jewell Road in Dunkirk (Calvert County).
911 dispatchers from both Calvert, and Anne Arundel County dispatched a full “Serious Motor Vehicle Collision Assignment”.
Updates to be provided when they become available.
11/24/2020: On Monday, November 23, 2020, at approximately 7:03 p.m., firefighters from the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department responded to the area of Route 260 and Jewell Road in Dunkirk, for the reported vehicle fire.
Dispatchers upgraded the assignment a short time later after a Calvert County Deputy arrived on the scene to find a motor vehicle collision with multiple subjects trapped and one vehicle on fire.
First Responders from Calvert and Anne Arundel County were then dispatched for a motor vehicle collision reported serious, with one vehicle on fire with multiple victims trapped in both vehicles.
Crews arrived on the scene to find two vehicles involved in a head-on style collision with three subjects trapped.
Firefighters from Dunkirk, North Beach, Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County worked on the scene for over an hour and 30 minutes. All three victims were extricated in approximately 50 minutes.
Maryland State Police Helicopter Trooper 2, and Trooper 6 responded and landed at nearby landing zones.
One victim was transported by Trooper 2 to an area trauma center with serious injuries. One victim was transported by Trooper 6 to an area trauma center with unknown severity of injuries. The third victim was transported by ground to an area hospital with unknown injuries.
Due to the collision happening near the Calvert County/Anne Arundel County line, First Responders from both counties along with mutual aid from Prince George’s County responded.
Police from both counties responded, however, it is currently unknown which county is handling the investigation of the collision.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
All photos courtesy of the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department.
