Police in Maryland are investigating why a man was found lying in the travel lanes of Interstate 495 after he allegedly jumped out of his vehicle.
It happened Thursday before 3 p.m. on the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway near Lanham. Maryland State Police said they received several calls reporting a body lying in the roadway.
When they arrived, they found a man wearing black sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt on the road, and a black Honda Accord on the right shoulder with the engine running and in neutral, a news release said.
The man, identified as Mahmoud Diop, 30, of D.C., was taken to the hospital for treatment.
A witness who was driving a tractor trailer told police that the driver of the car jumped out of the driver-side window and tried to jump onto the back end of the tractor trailer. He said the car also continued to travel without anyone in it.
Several witnesses gave similar accounts of what happened.
Police believe the car traveled on the right shoulder before it struck the guard rail and stopped. They are investigating whether impairment contributed to the incident.
One left lane was getting by in the area where police were investigating. All lanes reopened just before 4:30 p.m.
Below is the area where it happened.
