WASHINGTON — Three people are dead after a car crashed into a tree and exploded in Charles County, Maryland, early Tuesday morning.
The crash happened at around 1 a.m. A Mercedes was traveling south on Rosehill Road near Hawthorne Road in La Plata when the driver lost control of the car. The car struck a tree and caught fire.
Kar Benjamin, of Richmond, his wife and 15-year-old son Suirad Ware had been visiting family on Bryantown Road and were on their way home to Richmond when they saw the fire in the woods off Rosehill Road.
“I just pulled right over, I ran up to the car. I got one side of his body, my son got the other side of his body and we dragged him from the woods, all through the woods, to the side of the street,” said Benjamin.
Once the fire was extinguished, two more people were discovered inside the car.
Charles County police are unable to identify their ages and genders at this time.
The driver has been identified as Eric Lamont Moss, 28, of La Plata. He died later at a hospital.
Investigators are working to identify the two passengers.
“It’s horrible. We cried a little bit on the highway coming back to Richmond,” said Benjamin. “We’re just going keep his family in our prayers.”
Below is a map of the area of the crash.
