Angela Alsobrooks

Man Killed in Another Deadly Crash on Indian Head Highway

A man was killed Monday night in a three-vehicle crash on what's been called one of the most dangerous roads in the D.C. area.

Juan Menendez Castillo, 59, was a passenger in a Ford Escape that was stopped at a red light in the southbound lanes of Indian Head Highway near Berry Road in Accokeek, police said.

A Nissan Altima slammed into the back of the car, causing the Ford Escape to collide with a third car. 

Officers found Castillo unresponsive and he died a short time later at the hospital.

Three other people were injured; they all are expected to survive.

Castillo is the 10th person to die in a crash in Prince George's County this month. 

"I'm going to miss him so much," Castillo's stepdaughter Yency Reyes said.

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Reyes said he had four children.

Police are investigating why the Nissan crashed into the stopped Ford.

"A 55 mile an hour collision when they're approaching a red light. That speaks to driver behavior," Prince George's County Police Chief Hank Stawinski said. 

Indian Head Highway (Route 210) has been the site of multiple crashes, and over the past three years, the number has increased. There were 336 crashes in 2016, and 354 last year. That's nearly one crash every day.

Five people died as a result of the crashes on the highway last year, including three young siblings killed in December when an alleged drunk driver crashed into their family's car.

"We're losing lives on this road when it is absolutely preventable. Distracted and intoxicated. We have to change behavior," Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said Tuesday.

County lawmakers are seeking state funding for safety upgrades that could take 30 years and cost as much as $500 million. 

Police have stepped up DUI patrols and have been writing more tickets in an effort to make the road safer. They are urging all drivers to slow down and pay attention. They issued more than 6,000 tickets last year on the road some call the "Highway of Death." More are on the way. 

Driver behavior needs to change, officials said at a news conference last month. 

"We are going to enforce the traffic laws on Route 210 like never before," Alsobrooks said.

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