A woman is dead and nine others, including her three children, are hurt after a suspected drunk driver hit two SUVs going the wrong way on the Capital Beltway in Montgomery County, Maryland, late Tuesday, authorities say.
Jayleen Hannor, 23, of Macon, Georgia, was under the influence of alcohol when he drove a white Mercedes CLS 450 southbound in the northbound lanes of Interestate 270 near Rockledge Drive shortly before midnight, Maryland State Police said.
Hannor then continued driving the wrong way on I-270 onto the Outer Loop of I-495 when he crashed into a Nissan Pathfinder and a Lexus SUV at exit 34, Route 355, state police said. He then got out of the SUV and ran off in the area of Connecticut Avenue.
The driver of the Nissan Pathfinder, 36-year-old Elizabeth Velez, of Pennsylvania, died, police said. Valez's three children, ages 2, 5 and 15, and a 36-year-old passenger in the SUV were hurt and medics took all of them to hospitals.
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Five adults in the Lexus were also hurt and taken to hospitals.
The current conditions of the nine who were injured are unknown at this time.
Hannor was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol and failure to immediately return and remain at the scene of an accident involving death. He could face more charges. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
The Outer Loop of I-495 at Connecticut Avenue was closed for hours and reopened early Wednesday morning.
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