A mother died and her two children were hurt when her car crossed a median on Route 295 in Anne Arundel County and crashed into oncoming traffic.
The crash closed Rt. 295 to traffic for about four hours Friday afternoon; traffic had to get by on the shoulder.
Katherine K. Grooms, 41, of Ft. Washington, Md., was pronounced dead at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center after the 3 p.m. crash. Her 9-year-old son and one-month old son were taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where they were treated.
Another driver, Eric D. Hause, 50, of Severn, Md., was transported to Harbor Hospital for treatment.
Police are still investigating the crash, but the initial investigation showed Grooms, who was driving a 2008 Honda Accord, suddenly veered off the southbound highway and into the fast lane of the northbound side, striking a box truck driven by Hause.
The Honda and box truck struck head-on, according to a press release from state police.
The box truck then struck a northbound 2004 Buick driven by Jakin Rankin, 33, of Lanham, Md. Rankin was not injured, but his three children, who were in the car, were examined at a local hospital.
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Police said they haven't determined why Grooms veered off the road.
Two other vehicles traveling northbound were struck by debris from the initial crash. Their drivers were not injured and those two vehicles were eventually driven from the scene.
Grooms was wearing a seatbelt, as was her older son, and her younger son was in a child seat.
The road was reopened at about 7 p.m.
