CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. — Investigators with the Prince George's County Police Department are working to determine what lead up to a double fatal crash early Sunday morning.
Police said around 2 a.m. a vehicle was traveling southbound in the area of the 1400 block of Ritchie Road in Capitol Heights when for unknown reasons the car left the roadway.
The car subsequently struck a tree nearby, police said. The driver and a passenger were pronounced dead at the scene. A third person was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.
At this time, there is no word on why the car drove off the roadway and police have not yet identified the two victims.
On Thursday, a 32-year-old woman died in a crash the same way in Forestville, Md. Police say Lakina Jackson of District Heights was driving on Pennsylvania Avenue near Forestville Road when for unknown reason Jackson's vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree. Jackson was the sole occupant of the car at the time of the crash.
Maryland has seen a number of fatal crashes this year. The Zero Deaths Maryland website says as of Nov. 9, there has been a total of 431 fatal crashes in 2021 and 463 fatalities as a result of those crashes. Although numbers are significantly lower than 2020, which ended with a total of 573 fatalities, the Maryland Department of Transportation urges motorists to stay cognitive and alert while driving to help state efforts to combat impaired, aggressive and distracted driving.