UPDATE 3/26/25: The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal single-vehicle collision that occurred Tuesday afternoon.
On March 25, 2025, at around 1:15 p.m., First Responders responded to the 44000 block of St. Andrews Church Road and Pops Way in California, MD, for a report of a crash.
A preliminary investigation determined that a 2018 Hyundai Elantra left the roadway and struck a concrete barrier.
The driver, Calvin Coolidge Edwards Jr., 76, of Lexington Park, was found unresponsive and not breathing. Despite life-saving efforts, Edwards was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Unit responded and assumed the investigation. Speed and driver impairment do not appear to be factors. Investigators are considering the possibility of a medical emergency.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or events leading up to it and has not yet provided a statement is asked to contact Deputy First Class Alexander Tasciotti at 301-475-2400, ext. 8151, or by email at Alexander.Tasciotti@stmaryscountymd.gov.
3/25/2025: On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 1:16 p.m., police, firefighters and emergency medical services responded to the area of St. Andrew’s Church Road and Pop’s Way in California, for the motor vehicle collision reported serious with one not breathing and possibly trapped.
Crews arrived on the scene to find a single vehicle off the roadway and into a large drainage ditch with the adult male operator still in the vehicle and not breathing.
First Responders rapidly removed the patient while beginning life-saving measures and CPR.
Sadly, the patient was pronounced deceased on the scene approximately 35 minutes later.
A witness, who had been following the vehicle since the area of Hollywood Road and Point Lookout Road, told authorities they saw the crash happen, called 911, and immediately stopped to check on the occupant.
While the incident appears to be medical related, Deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and are actively investigating the collision.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
St. Andrew’s Church Road will be remain closed for an extended period of time.
