Mechanicsville, MD – A motorist deemed to be the at-fault driver in serious two-vehicle collision that occurred last October in St. Mary’s County is facing over 20 charges connected to the incident. The Oct. 28 crash happened during the early evening hours in the area of Three Notch Road and Mechanicsville Road. The vehicles involved were a 2011 Nissan Frontier driven by Michael Flores, 31 of Lexington Park and a 2006 Jeep Liberty driven by Victoria Gellings, 46 of Mechanicsville. A report issued by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office stated the Jeep operated by Gellings was travelling southbound on Three Notch Road “when for unknown reasons she left the roadway. Gellings continued to drive off the road until she re-entered the roadway on Mechanicsville Road. Gellings then struck the 2011 Nissan Frontier that was stopped at the red light on Mechanicsville Road waiting to turn onto Three Notch Road. The Jeep pushed the Nissan sideways until the Nissan struck the curb and the edge of the roadway, and rolled over before coming to rest on its tires.”
Flores and Gellings were trapped in their vehicles and two passengers in the Nissan were ejected as a result of the collision. The other Nissan passengers were identified as Angela Kalnasy, 26, Christopher Kalnasy, 25 and Katelyn Kalnasy, 22, all of Mechanicsville. Three helicopters were dispatched to the scene to transport the five injured motorists to Washington Hospital Center. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Unit was called to the scene due to the severity of the injuries.
According to a District Court docket summary, on Tuesday, July 18 Gellings was charged with four counts of second-degree assault, eight counts of life-threatening injury with a vehicle while under the influence, four counts each of life-threatening injuries with a vehicle while impaired, life-threatening injuries with a vehicle while on drugs and life-threatening injuries with a vehicle while using a controlled dangerous substance (CDS). All of the criminal charges are misdemeanors. Gellings also faces three traffic charges—driving, attempting to drive while impaired by alcohol; driving, attempting to drive a vehicle while so far impaired by drugs; and driving, attempting to drive a vehicle while impaired by CDS.
According to the District Court summary, a preliminary inquiry about the charges Gellings is facing is tentatively set for Sept. 1. The case is currently being prosecuted by St. Mary’s County Assistant State’s Attorney Laura A. Caspar. A call to Caspar regarding the case had not been returned as this story was being filed.
One of the Nissan passengers told TheBayNet.com that the combined medical bills for the four people injured have exceeded $3 million. “All of the specific injuries would be too much to list, but just know they were extensive,” the passenger stated. “Not a single one of us will ever fully recover.”
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
UPDATE – Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. Report issued by the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office
Mechanicsville, MD – On Oct. 28, at approximately 6:27 p.m. St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the area of Three Notch Road and Mechanicsville Road for the report of a serious motor vehicle accident in which one of the vehicles had rolled over. Officers arriving on scene discovered a 2011 Nissan Frontier off the roadway with two passengers ejected, and the driver was trapped. Firefighters extracted the driver while emergency medical personnel tended to the other patients. A 2006 Jeep Liberty was also involved in the accident and was in the roadway with the driver also trapped. Trooper 7, Trooper 2, and Park Police’s Eagle 2 were called to transport a total of five patients to Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. Due to the severity of the injuries, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Reconstruction Unit was contacted and responded to the scene.
The investigation revealed the 2006 Jeep Liberty was being operated by Victoria Gellings, 46 of Mechanicsville, who was traveling southbound on Three Notch Road when for unknown reasons she left the roadway. Gellings continued to drive off-road until she re-entered the roadway on Mechanicsville Road. Gellings then struck the 2011 Nissan Frontier that was stopped at the red light on Mechanicsville Road waiting to turn north onto Three Notch Road. The Nissan Frontier was being operated by Michael Flores, 31 of Lexington Park. The three passengers in the Nissan Frontier were Angela Kalnasy, 26 of Mechanicsville, Christopher Kalnasy, 25 of Mechanicsville, and Katelyn Kalnasy, 22 of Mechanicsville. The Jeep pushed the Nissan sideways until the Nissan struck the curb and the edge of the roadway, and rolled over before coming to rest on its tires.
At this time it is unknown if alcohol or speed was a factor in the accident. Anyone with any information regarding the accident is asked to call DFC Beyer at 240-925-5313.
Update — 6:42pm. Five patients have been transported to local trauma centers using three helicopters. Fire department remained on the scene to provide lighting and assist the accident investigation.
Update — 6:38pm. Patients are being accessed. Four additional ambulances were requested for five trauma patients.
Update — 6:35pm. Fire and EMS arrived on the scene to find subjects trapped in a two vehicle collision.
Mechanicsville Md. Oct.28, — 6:31pm. A serious motor vehicle accident has been reported on Three Notch Road in the area of Mechanicsville Road. Please avoid area.
More details as they develop
