WASHINGTON– A serious crash involving a police cruiser tied up the outer loop of I-495 for hours on Sunday morning.
Maryland State Police say a maroon GMC van driven by a 67-year-old man collided into a parked Maryland State Police car on a traffic stop on the beltway near Suitland Road around 3:30 a.m. The van also hit the car involved in the traffic stop before overturning.
The driver of the van, Jerry Javan Benson Jr. of Oxon Hill, Md., was transported to the University of Maryland, Shock Trauma, where he is being treated for life- threatening injuries. An 81-year-old passenger, Arthur Lee Phillips of District Heights, was also injured.
The State trooper was not hurt in the crash, nor were the driver or passengers in the other parked car.
Police say they believe alcohol was a factor. All of the lanes were re-opened by 9:30 a.m.
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