WASHINGTON — A 19-year-old woman was killed crossing the road at the intersection of Route 197 and Morris Drive in Laurel early Friday morning.
Laurel police say Helene Audrey Ngatou Ngassa was crossing the northbound lanes just after 6 a.m. when she was struck. She was transported to Prince George’s County Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The driver of the vehicle that struck Ngassa remained on the scene. Police are working to determine if Ngassa was in a crosswalk at the time of the crash.
Several serious collisions, many involving pedestrians, have occurred nearby in recent years. In July 2008, a 86-year-old pedestrian was fatally struck in the southbound lanes. A 73-year-old man was struck and killed at Route 198 in 2011. A bicyclist was killed after being hit by a vehicle in 2007.
In October 2014, a nine vehicle pile-up blocked lanes on Route 197 and Route 198 for several hours
Officials in Laurel continue to educate the public on the use of crosswalks to improve public safely.
About 35,000 vehicles travel this stretch of Route 197 each day, according to the Maryland State Highway Administration.
