Maryland State Police have charged a driver in connection with a two-vehicle crash in Upper Marlboro that left a pair of people dead.
Mark D. Austin, 35, of Brandywine, was charged with multiple counts of motor vehicle manslaughter and criminally negligent manslaughter.
State troopers responded to a call regarding a two-vehicle crash on northbound Crain Highway at Croom Station Road in Upper Marlboro, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to Marland State Police.
Responding troopers and county fire and rescue personnel found two people inside one of the vehicles, both were pronounced dead by members of the Prince George’s County Fire Department.
They were identified as Michael Hethmon, 66, of the 8100-block of Croom Road in Upper Marlboro, and a 49-year-old woman, also from Upper Marlboro, according to police.
The woman’s name is being withheld, pending the location and notification of family, said police.
Police said a preliminary investigation showed that Austin was driving a 2019 Ford F-150 northbound on Crain Highway approaching Croom Station Road, when he failed to stop for a red traffic signal.
The Ford pickup truck drove into the intersection and struck a 2016 Subaru Legacy driven by the female victim, who was making a left turn onto Croom Station Road.
The investigation indicated the pickup truck struck the sedan’s passenger side door.
The force of the crash caused the car to rotate and hit the guardrail. The pickup also rotated, overturned on its roof, and caught fire.
Austin did not suffer any immediate injuries in the crash or from the flames afterword, according to police.
Investigators said speed, failure to obey a traffic control device and driver impairment were all factors in this crash.
Police said a detailed crash reconstruction will be completed by the Maryland State Police Crash Team and presented to the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office for review.
The northbound and southbound lanes of Crain Highway were closed in the area of the intersection of Croom Station Road until about 7 p.m.
See a map of the crash location below:
