WASHINGTON — Surveillance video is helping Maryland State Police investigate a wrong-way crash that killed two people on Wednesday.
Detectives have collected and reviewed video from area businesses that show Laura Ashley Murphy, 22, of Salisbury, entering U.S. Route 50 in the wrong direction on the shoulder. She traveled on the shoulder for at least a mile and a half, according to police.
“Driving at what looks to be rapid speed, then enters the travel portion of the highway right after the intersection of Routes 2 and 450,” said Elena Russo, spokeswoman for Maryland State Police.
The crash happened near that intersection in Anne Arundel County.
The crash claimed Murphy’s life and the life of Robert Skidmore, 66, of Cape St. Clair. Murphy’s vehicle crashed head-on into Skidmore’s Mercedes SUV, according to police.
Murphy’s 14-month-old baby was in the car with her and was taken to the hospital in critical condition on Wednesday. The child remained in the hospital on Friday, Russo said.
A third car was also involved in the crash but no one inside it was injured.
Detectives still haven’t determined why Murphy entered the road in the wrong direction or why she stayed on it for more than a mile. Toxicology or autopsy results for Murphy haven’t come in yet.
“Perhaps there was an impairment issue, there is just so many questions still left unanswered,” Russo said.
Anyone who saw the woman’s 2017 Black Volkswagen SUV on the road earlier in the day is asked to call Maryland State Police at 410-267-5800.
“If there is any information regarding maybe her behavior behind the wheel at that point, that would be helpful to investigators,” Russo said.
