A woman is dead and two others are injured after a driver veered to avoid a Jeep merging into his lane and overturned his SUV in Frederick County, Maryland, on Monday afternoon, according to state police.
The crash happened eastbound on U.S. Route 340 at Maryland Route 180 in Petersville around 1:30 p.m.
The driver who police say caused the SUV to crash left the scene, but Maryland State Police say they know who owns the vehicle.
Shannon Kephart, 48, of Winchester, Virginia, was riding in the right front seat of the SUV and died at the scene of the crash, police say.
The Honda CR-V driver, Dean Kephart, 61, of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and the rear left seat passenger Cathy Cyrus, 68, of Olney, Maryland, were both taken to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.
Police didn’t specify the severity of their injuries, but Cyrus was flown by medevac helicopter to the hospital.
Police said the driver of a silver Jeep Liberty “made an aggressive lane change” into Dean Kephart’s lane.
Kephart veered to the left and his CR-V rotated across all lanes of U.S. 340 before hitting a guardrail and overturning. The SUV came to a rest in the middle of the road. The Jeep’s driver drove away.
Witnesses gave police a description of the Jeep and its license plate number. Police went to the registered owner’s address. The owner of the vehicle said it was his son driving the Jeep.
Police closed U.S. Route 340 for four hours on Monday, and the investigation is ongoing.
