The fiery crash in Gaithersburg, Maryland early Tuesday claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy and left his mother with serious injuries, police said in an update Wednesday.
A fire and rescue crew driving through the area saw a car on fire at about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday near the westbound lanes of Sam Eig Highway (Route 370) near Fields Road, Montgomery County Police said. The car seemed to have crossed the center median of the road.
The 33-year-old woman in the driver's seat told first-responders her son was in the car, but they were unable to save the child as they broke glass and extinguished the blaze.
"Once the fire was out, the investigators or fire rescue discovered a child deceased in the vehicle," said Lt. Dave McBain, the deputy director of the police department's traffic division.
The mother found in the 2003 Toyota Corolla was taken to an area burn unit, police said.
Sam Eig Highway was closed in both directions between Diamondback Drive and Fields Road until about 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Anyone with information about this one-vehicle collision is asked to call the Montgomery County Collision Reconstruction Unit at 240-773-6620.
