Crash kills 2, snarls parkway

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A head-on collision in the predawn hours yesterday on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway killed two drivers and slowed commuters through most of the morning.

The accident occurred just north of Route 197 near Laurel at about 5:50 a.m., roughly 90 minutes before sunrise, and closed the parkway's northbound lanes until about 10:30 a.m.

"It was mostly dark," said Lt. Scott Fear, a U.S. Park Police spokesman. "There wasn't much daylight yet."

Investigators have yet to determine what caused the female driver of a southbound Chevrolet Cavalier to cross the grassy median and hit a northbound white Nissan Infiniti and a pickup truck, Lt. Fear said.

The driver of the blue pickup was not injured and the passenger was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. The dead victims' names are being withheld until their next of kin are notified.

Police detoured traffic onto Route 197, then Route 198 before returning motorists to the parkway. Lt. Fear said the detoured traffic moved quickly, despite motorists' slowing to look at the accident scene.

Investigators are asking witnesses to call them with information that might help explain what caused the female motorist to cross into the northbound lanes.

"At that time of the morning, it's pretty busy on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway," Lt. Fear said. "We believe there were other vehicles in the area."

Witnesses are asked to call 202/610-8737.