By Mark F. Gray, AFRO Staff Writer, mgray@afro.com

Prince George’s County continues to be plagued by fatal automobile accidents. There is not any consistency with the trend of incidents which have taken the lives of victims for seven consecutive weeks since the start of 2019.

These tragic incidents continued Saturday March 9 when one person was killed and three others were injured in a crash involving four vehicles on Interstate 95 near Beltsville.  Maryland State Police said the crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of I-95 before the MD-212 Exit 29 for Powder Mill Road causing traffic delays until mid-morning.

Prince George’s County has been plagued by fatal automobile accidents for seven consecutive weeks since the start of 2019, most recently on I-95 before MD-212 Exit 29 for Powder Mill Road. (Courtesy Photo)

Police initially said that a Honda Civic driven by an unidentified woman was traveling in the wrong direction on the northbound lanes of I-95 but, after more extensive investigation that has yet to be determined.  However, what has been confirmed is the Civic was traveling on I-95 when it crashed into a Mitsubishi Gallant and into a BMW 325. The Mitsubishi was driven by Keith Hingle, 31, of Beltsville who was uninjured, according to multiple reports.

The driver of the BMW, Olayanju Kayode, 35, of Laurel, flew partially through the windshield while the Honda then collided with a Lexus RX350 that was being driven by Earl Ross Jr., 46, of Mechanicsville.  Reports say the Honda drifted onto the right shoulder of the road, and caught fire with the driver inside, who died at the scene, police said. NBC 4 News identified the Honda driver as 57-year-old Shana Subram, a wife and mother of two children with autism, who was on her way to work as a physician’s assistant at a jail in Baltimore.

Subram, loved her job, but lived in Rockville and worried about her long commute.  “She wanted to leave this job for the longest time. It is very dangerous going there,” Subram’s husband Hans Bergmann told NBC 4 News.

Antoine Bethea, 43, of Gaither Street in Temple Hills was killed when his car ran off the road and hit a tree in Upper Marlboro during the late evening hours on Thursday February 28.  According to multiple reports Bethea was the only victim in the accident.

He was pronounced dead on the scene.  There has been no indication of foul play, racing or collision and there were no witnesses to the accident.

Patrol officers were called to the 11000 block of Old Marlboro Pike for a fatal collision involving a single vehicle.  When the officers arrived, they found a mangled vehicle that veered off the road  with Bethea’s body unconscious and unresponsive inside.

Then in Oxon Hill, a pedestrian victim was located on the 100 block of Monument Avenue in Oxon Hill, near MGM National Harbor for the report of an injured person in the roadway.

The preliminary investigation lasted well into the night and officers were able to ultimately locate and view surveillance video which is the only piece of evidence that provides any context to what may have happened.

It showed the pedestrian attempting to cross Monument Avenue when an unknown-colored sedan traveling from Rivercrest Road merged onto Monument Avenue and struck him.  Video shows the sedan, after impact, slowed down for a moment and then sped back up towards the Beltway and left the scene.  The pedestrian was not in a crosswalk.

Law enforcement officials have identified the victim and notified his family but haven’t released his name as the investigation continues while his life is uncertain.

Southern Maryland roads in the Oxon Hill corridor continue to be the most dangerous roadways in the state.   AAA Mid-Atlantic released data from its analysis of crash data provided by County police in January which revealed at least 14 traffic related in crashes along MD Rt. 210 over the past four years. Three pedestrians also have died there since 2013. Four motorcyclists were also killed in crashes on Indian Head Highway between 2014 and 2017. At the current pace 2019 may shatter the dubious record by mid-summer.