Baltimore Man Charged In Deadly Wrong Way Head-On Crash

LAUREL, MD — A Baltimore City man has been charged in connection to a deadly head-on crash that happened Sunday morning in Howard County on I-95.

The incident happened around 2:45 a.m. Jan. 4 near southbound I-95 at Maryland 216. According to Maryland State Police, a Toyota Sequoia was heading the wrong way when it hit a Chrysler Pacifica. The driver of the Chrysler Pacifica, later identified as Venkata Asha Khanna Appana, 48, of Marvin, North Carolina, was pronounced dead at the scene. The front passenger, later identified as Krishna Kishore Koti Kalapudi, 49, also of Marvin, North Carolina, was taken to an area hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Two additional passengers in the Chrysler included a 21-year-old who was taken by ambulance to a trauma center and a 16-year-old who was flown by Maryland State Police Aviation Command to a trauma center.

The driver of the Toyota Sequoia, later identified as Michael Coupet, 34, was reported uninjured and remained at the scene, the MSP reported. He has been charged with four counts of vehicular manslaughter, four counts of homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and impaired by alcohol, life-threatening injury by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, life-threatening injury by motor vehicle while impaired, life-threatening injury involving a motor vehicle, driving under the influence and driving while impaired. He was arrested and transported to the Howard County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.