Crime & Safety
Update: One Person Dead in Crash on Route 3
The crash happened at about 12:45 p.m. and the roadway was closed for nearly three hours. Two other people sustained minor injuries.
Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman Keith Swindle said emergency crews responded at about 12:45 p.m. One of the drivers, Celeste Leffingwell Loftin, 73, was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation revealed the Subaru, driven by Loftin, merged from Route 32 West onto Route 3 South into the path of the Nissan, according to a release.
The Nissan was traveling in the right hand lane of Route 3 South. The Nissan was unable to avoid the collision and struck the driver’s side of the Subaru. Both vehicles then came to a stop.
The driver and passenger of the Nissan were transported to Baltimore Washington Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries, officials said.
A preliminary investigation indicates neither excessive speed nor alcohol were factors in the crash. The driver of the Subaru was wearing a seat belt and the air bags deployed, but that did not lessen the severity of her injuries. The driver and passenger of the Nissan were also wearing seat belts. The combination of seat belt usage and airbags prevented further injuries to the occupants of the Nissan, officials said.
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The crash remains under investigation by the The Traffic Safety Section.
Friday's crash was not far from the location of a previous collision that killed three people in August, but police said there was little resemblance between the two crashes.
This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
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