According to the NTSB, speed was a factor in the Baltimore Beltway traffic accident that killed six people

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — Speeding and unsafe lane changing were primary contributors to the March 2023 Baltimore Beltway crash that killed six highway workers, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report released this month.

Before the accident, a Volkswagen and an Acura, traveling at more than 120 mph, collided on the inner loop of Interstate 695 near Interstate 70 when the driver of the Acura, Lisa Adrienne Lea of ​​Randallstown, attempted to leave the to change lane. The accident caused Lea to lose control of her car before it crashed into the work area, police said.

According to the NTSB report, the Acura passed through an opening in the concrete barriers separating the work area from the highway lanes. As the car traveled through the work zone, it struck various construction materials and the workers and overturned before stopping.

According to the police, emergency services determined that six workers died at the scene of the accident.

The final report published on Wednesday concluded the 18-month investigation.

“We have determined that the probable cause of the collision between a passenger vehicle and road workers in a work zone in Woodlawn, Maryland was the excessive speed of two vehicles and the Acura driver's unsafe lane change, resulting in a collision with the Volkswagen and subsequent collision “Loss of control, entry into the work area, rollover and collision with workers,” NTSB investigators wrote.

After the accident, Baltimore County District Attorney Scott Shellenberger filed 28 criminal charges against Lea, including one count alleging she was driving under the influence of drugs. Lea reportedly had marijuana and five prescription medications in her system at the time of the accident, prosecutors said.

Lea is awaiting trial in Baltimore County Circuit Court on six counts of vehicular manslaughter and related offenses, the Baltimore Banner reported. Her court date is April 28, 2025.

The driver of the Volkswagen – Melachi Brown of Windsor Mill – was also charged with multiple charges. He pleaded guilty to six counts of vehicular manslaughter and was convicted sentenced sentenced in March to a year and a half in the Baltimore County Detention Center, the Banner reported.

The following were killed in the crash:

• Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel
• Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick
• Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick
• Mahlon Simmons III, 31, of Union Bridge
• Mahlon Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge
• Sybil Lee Dimaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie

In October 2023, the Maryland Highway Administration was cited for “serious violations” that contributed to an accident. The allegations, issued by Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, alleged that the agency failed to post legible traffic control signs near the work area where the accident occurred.

The report called the violation “serious” and said the decision placed road workers at “runover risk,” CBS Baltimore reported.

There were no penalties associated with the citation, the report said.