Updated Jan. 25, 2019
A Charles County man has been charged for a crash that killed three children, late December on Indian Head Highway in Oxon Hill.
Officials say that Thomas Daniel Hawks, 27, was “heavily intoxicated and impaired” when he crashed into the back of Honda Accord that was occupied by the Mejia family, Dec 30. Two five-year-old twins and a one-year-old were killed after Hawks struck their stopped vehicle at a red light. The parents were also seriously injured as a result of the crash.
According to the indictment, Hawks is charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter as the result of gross negligence and two counts of causing life-threatening injuries by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Hawks faces up 36 years in prison if convicted.
At the indictment press conference, PG County Police Chief Hank Stawinski III addressed the department’s plans to battle impaired driving with upcoming DWI checkpoints, “We will continue to send a strong message that this kind of conduct will be dealt with harshly in Prince George’s County.”.
Hawks has an active warrant for his arrest and is expected to be in police custody soon.
UPDATE from the PG County Police Department:
Our Collision Analysis Reconstruction Unit (CARU) is investigating a rear-end collision involving multiple vehicles which resulted in the fatalities of three young siblings Sunday evening.
At 9:40 pm, the preliminary investigation reveals, an adult male driving alone in a pick-up truck rear-ended a vehicle carrying two adults and three children on Indian Head Highway near Wilson Bridge Drive. That impact caused the victims’ vehicle to strike the car in front of it which struck another vehicle in front of it, as well.
While it is early in our investigation, we know the crash occurred just before an intersection where the family was either slowed or stopped behind two other vehicles for the traffic light. The driver of the pick-up is suspected of driving under the influence and, it appears, was moving at a much higher rate of speed than the victims’ cars. Preliminarily, there is no evidence of skid marks on the scene prior to the point of impact with the car carrying the family. The pick-up truck came to rest on top of the rear-passenger compartment of that sedan.
5-year-old Alexander Mejia, 5-year- old Rosalie Mejia, and 1-year- old Isaac Mejia, all of Falls Church, Virginia, were killed upon impact. The two adult victims, the children’s parents, were transported to the hospital in critical but stable condition. The driver of the truck was taken into custody at the scene for sobriety testing.
Chief Hank Stawinski said, “I am heartbroken over the loss of these three young innocent lives. The actions of a suspected drunk driver has ended in a lifetime of pain for this family. We work tirelessly to clear our roads of drivers who make the horrible decision to pick up their keys and drive while impaired. We have been conducting targeted DUI and speed enforcement across the county and stepped up our efforts in specific areas to include the 210 corridor as we neared the New Year’s Eve holiday. At the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) awards program two weeks ago, I commended all of our local law enforcement for arresting more than 13,000 drunk drivers on our region’s roads annually. We are not only aware of this issue, we are actively engaged in this fight to take drunk drivers off the road and to hold them responsible. So it is difficult to describe how deeply frustrated I am, because, despite all of this work, a family is suffering beyond imagination. All of this because of one individual’s decision that placed the lives of all those around him in jeopardy when he got behind that wheel. It was a decision that ended in tragedy and it was a tragedy that didn’t need to be.”
As for the two other cars that were in front of the family’s car and were also hit, one of those drivers was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
The driver of the pick-up truck has been released. Final charges in this case are pending the outcomes of the investigation, toxicology testing, and reconstruction analysis and will be determined in consultation with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or who may have additional information is asked to call our CARU investigators at 301-731-4422. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS, text “PGPD plus your message” to CRIMES (274637) on your cell phone or go to www.pgcrimesolvers.com.
OXON HILL, Md. – A motor vehicle crash resulted in the deaths of three children, Sunday night, Dec. 30 in Oxon Hill, officials say.
On Dec. 30, around 9:30 p.m., crews responded to Indian Head Highway at Wilson Bridge Road, Oxon Hill for the report of a crash involving three vehicles with entrapment.
Two adults and one child were also reported trapped according to Mark Brady of the PG County Fire Department. In a later update, Brady said that the adults had been freed from the wreck and were in the care of medics.
Regarding the crash, Brady said “there are no words to describe this crash except to say it is a tragedy.”.
Authorities have not revealed the cause of the crash at this time. Indian Head Highway reopened Monday morning at 4:00 a.m.