A tow-truck driver assisting a motorist on Interstate 95 in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was struck and killed Thursday afternoon in a crash that temporarily shut down the northbound lanes of the highway and led to significant delays.
The crash happened shortly after 12 p.m. Thursday in the northbound lanes of I-95 at Maryland Route 212/Powder Mill Road, according to Maryland State Police.
The tow truck driver had stopped to assist a driver and was struck by another vehicle that sideswiped the vehicle.
The tow truck driver died at the scene, state police said.
The striking vehicle remained on the scene and no one else was hurt, according to authorities.
Major delays persist
The crash investigation initially closed down the main travel lanes of northbound I-95 at Route 212, with delays and jammed traffic spilling over onto the Inner and Outer loops of the Capital Beltway.
By 4:30 p.m. lanes on northbound I-95 had reopened. “But northbound traffic is still very slow going,” said WTOP Traffic report Dave Dildine, in the WTOP Traffic Center.
In addition, major delays persisted on the Capital Beltway between Silver Spring and Greenbelt, and spillover traffic on alternate routes from drivers looking to avoid I-95 were also “just about maxed out,” Dildine added.
The tow truck driver who was killed has not yet been publicly identified by authorities.
“Unfortunately, the towing profession is extremely dangerous, especially with the rampancy of distracted driving,” Dildine said. “There have been roadside assistants killed on local highways in recent years.”
Below is the area where the crash happened.
