Six highway workers were killed on a busy highway outside Baltimore on Wednesday when they were struck by a car that traveled into their work zone, the authorities said.
The accident took place at about 12:40 p.m., when the driver of an Acura tried to change lanes in the inner loop of Interstate 695, also known as the Baltimore Beltway, in Woodlawn, Md., in Baltimore County, the Maryland State Police said in a statement.
The State Police identified the driver as Lisa Adrienna Lea, 54, of Randallstown, Md. As Ms. Lea tried to move into the left lane, her car struck the “front corner panel” on the passenger side of a Volkswagen driven by Melachi Brown, 20, of Windsor Mill, Md., according to the police statement.
“Crash team investigators believe this caused the Acura to lose control and subsequently travel into the work zone,” the State Police said. It was not clear what led Ms. Lea to hit the Volkswagen.
Video from WBAL-TV showed her overturned Acura lying amid construction materials between two barriers. Mr. Brown, who was not injured, stopped his vehicle north of the accident scene after it became disabled, the State Police said.
The six workers were pronounced dead at the scene, the State Police said. Their identities were not released pending the notification of relatives. The State Police referred inquiries about the workers, including their employment status, to the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, which did not have an immediate comment about the crash on Thursday.
Ms. Lea was taken to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where she was being treated for her injuries.
Any charges will depend on the outcome of the investigation, which is being conducted in consultation with the office of the Baltimore County state’s attorney, the authorities said. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are working with the Maryland State Police crash team on the investigation.
State and local leaders, who said they were monitoring the crash, expressed their condolences to the families of the highway workers.
On Twitter, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland said, “My heart goes out to the victims and the families affected by the tragic crash” on the Interstate.
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