Pikesville, MD – December 2, 2019 – Maryland State Police are investigating numerous incidents from the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, including 3 fatal crashes. Overall, troopers responded to 2,943 calls for service, including 409 crashes from Wednesday through Sunday. In addition, state police recorded 119 arrests for impaired driving, and 124 criminal arrests, while also issuing 4,442 citations and 4,894 warnings.
Troopers also responded to 2 separate multi-vehicle crashes, one in western Maryland, and one on the Eastern Shore. A 58-vehicle incident in Garrett County Sunday around noon sent at least 10 people to the hospital and remains under investigation. Another multi-vehicle crash Sunday night on the Eastern Shore along Route 50 near Memory Gardens Lane in Hebron also remains under investigation.
State Police are investigating fatal crashes across Maryland including one late Saturday night in St. Mary’s County, one Sunday in Caroline County, and one this morning in Beltsville, Prince George’s County. Starting last Wednesday, November 27, troopers conducted targeted impaired-driving enforcement efforts at locations around the state based on historic trends of having a high volume of impaired driving incidents. One of those initiatives in Worcester County resulted in 92 traffic stops with 9 drivers arrested for driving under the influence.
Friday afternoon, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was called in to hoist an injured hiker from a ravine in Allegany County to transport the injured person to the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in Cumberland, Maryland.
As we move into the holiday season, troopers urge travelers not to drive distracted, impaired, or aggressively, and to make traffic safety their priority when they get behind the wheel. Drivers should plan for a designated driver, or choose a sober ride home, to help keep Maryland highways safe throughout the holiday season.