Charles County Sheriff’s officers responded to the intersection of Hawthorne and Chicamuxen roads in La Plata at 11:53 a.m. today for the report of a motor vehicle crash.
The investigation revealed a Ford van being driven by Wayne Sylvester Sutton Jr., 18 of La Plata, was approaching the intersection eastbound when he lost control of the van, causing it to slide sideways. The van struck a guardrail and the backseat passenger, Francis Lewis Robinson Jr., 23 of Nanjemoy, was partially ejected.
Robinson sustained serious injuries and was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to Prince George’s Hospital Center. The front-seat passenger — a 17-year-old Waldorf male — and Sutton were transported by Emergency Medical Services personnel to Civista Medical Center, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The occupants of the vehicle are employed by Charles County Public Schools, which owns the van. Speed and the wet roadway were factors in the crash. The front occupants were wearing seatbelts but the backseat passenger was unbelted.
Cpl. R. Taylor of the Traffic Operations Unit is investigating.