Speed A Factor In Baltimore Beltway Crash That Killed 6, NTSB Finds

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Speeding and an unsafe lane change primarily contributed to the March 2023 crash on the Baltimore Beltway that claimed the lives of six highway workers, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report released this month.

Before the crash, a Volkswagen and Acura traveling at more than 120 mph collided on the Interstate 695 inner loop near Interstate 70 when the driver of the Acura, Lisa Adrienne Lea of Randallstown, attempted to change lanes. The crash caused Lea to lose control of her car before it crashed into the work zone, police said.

According to the NTSB report, the Acura passed through an opening in the concrete barriers separating the work zone from the highway travel lanes. As the car traveled through the work zone, it struck miscellaneous construction materials and the workers, overturning before it stopped.

Emergency personnel pronounced six workers dead on the scene, police said.

The final report released on Wednesday brought the 18-month investigation to a close.

"We determined that the probable cause of the Woodlawn, Maryland, crash between a passenger vehicle and highway workers in a work zone was the excessive speed of two vehicles and unsafe lane change by the Acura driver, resulting in a collision with the Volkswagen and subsequent loss of control, entry into the work zone, rollover, and collision with the workers," NTSB investigators wrote.

Following the crash, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger indicted Lea on 28 counts, including a charge claiming she was driving while under the influence of drugs. Prosecutors said Lea had marijuana and five prescription medications in her system at the time of the crash, reports said.

Lea is awaiting trial in Baltimore County Circuit Court on six counts of negligent vehicular manslaughter and related offenses, the Baltimore Banner reported. She’s due in court on April 28, 2025.

The driver of the Volkswagen — Melachi Brown of Windsor Mill — was also indicted on multiple charges. He pleaded guilty to six counts of negligent vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced in March to 1½ years in the Baltimore County Detention Center, the Banner reported.

Those killed in the crash were:

• Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel
• Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick
• Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick
• Mahlon Simmons III, 31, of Union Bridge
• Mahlon Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge
• Sybil Lee Dimaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie

In October 2023, the Maryland Highway Administration was cited for "serious violations" that contributed to a crash. The citations issued by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health claimed the agency did not post legible traffic control signs near the work zone where the crash occurred.

The report called the violation "serious" and said the decision exposed the highway workers to "struck-by hazards," CBS Baltimore reported.

There were no penalties connected to the citation, the report said.