Maryland
Two moms killed in separate hit-and-runs on Maryland’s ‘highway of death’ in 24 hours
Two moms have been killed in separate hit-and-runs along Maryland’s infamous “highway of death” within the space of around 24 hours.
The first incident unfolded at around 9pm on Thursday night when 52-year-old Sandra Abarca Orellana, of Temple Hills, was crossing the road to reach a bus stop following a shopping trip to Tanger Outlets National Harbor Mall on Oxon Hill Road.
Prince George’s County Police said the victim was found in the road after being struck by a vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Almost exactly one day later at 10pm Friday, 40-year-old Loretta Canter-Andrews, of Accokeek, was struck by a vehicle in the northbound lanes of Route 210 near Farmington Road, police said. She was also pronounced dead at the scene.
The two fatal incidents occurred around 16 kilometers (10 miles) apart along Highway 210, which has earned the grim nickname of Maryland’s “highway of death.”
In 2024 alone, 21 pedestrian deaths have occurred along Prince George’s County roads – 11 of them hit-and-runs, reported NBC Washington.
Police told the outlet they are now looking for a burgundy, four-door Sedan in connection to Orellana’s death. The vehicle was seen heading north on Oxon Hill Road toward the shopping mall at the time of the hit-and-run, police said.
It is not clear if a vehicle has been identified in connection to the second death.
Canter-Andrews’s son TJ Andrews paid tribute to his mother.
“She was outgoing. She had no filter on her but she was a very caring person and would do anything for anyone if she had it,” he told Fox5.
“I’m blank-minded about it and hurt, mad, I just, for her sake, I just want justice done for her point of view.”
Police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
The driver of a car involved in a crash with a Prince George’s County school bus in Accokeek, Maryland, on Friday has been identified.
Prince George’s County police said Dequan Gravely, 23, of Bryans Road in Charles County, was driving northbound on Route 210 near Pine Drive around 7:20 a.m. when his Mercedes collided with the school bus turning left from the southbound lanes.
Investigators said the crash happened in the intersection, causing the school bus to flip onto its side. Gravely died at the scene.
The school bus driver was transported to a hospital and treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Police said no students were on the bus at the time of the crash.
Investigators said they believe debris from the collision damaged a third vehicle. The driver of that vehicle “declined medical attention,” police said.
The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 301-731-4422.
WTOP’s Acacia James contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Talk about a birthday surprise! A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Maryland last week, and the matching number that netted him the prize happened to be his age.
Maurice Williams, a school bus driver in D.C., claimed the first top prize on a $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off. He had used his $50 winnings from a previous LUXE scratch-off ticket to buy a new one the next day.
In a release from the Maryland Lottery, Williams said he didn’t know he had won until he scanned the ticket: “It’s crazy because the matching number was 59 and I just turned 59 the other day.”
Williams said he sat in shock for a while before calling his mother.
He said he plans to buy his mother a house with the winnings and then save up.
Two more top prizes from the scratch-off have yet to be claimed, the Maryland Lottery said, as well as nine $200,000 prizes, 10 $50,000 prizes and thousands of prizes ranging from $50 to $10,000.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
-
News5 minutes agoBetty Broderick, Whose Murder Trial Was Grist for TV Movies, Dies at 78
-
Politics11 minutes agoDistracted and Bogged Down, Trump and Xi Enter a Summit of Reduced Ambitions
-
Business17 minutes agoF.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns After Weeks of Pressure
-
Science23 minutes agoA Taxidermist Gives Dead Animals a New Life
-
Health29 minutes ago‘Trimester Zero’: What to Expect When You’re Expecting to Expect
-
Culture41 minutes agoRevolution is the Theme at the Firsts London Book Fair
-
Lifestyle47 minutes agoLeigh Magar, High-End Milliner Turned Indigo Artist, Dies at 57
-
Education53 minutes agoLuna Lab Is Building a Future for Female Composers