Probe In Double Fatal ShopRite Crash Continues

BEL AIR, MD — The 12-vehicle crash in Bel Air that killed two people on MD 24 at Ring Factory Road remains under investigation, nearly three months later. Police said the probe into the deadly March collision may take a while.

"It's a 12-vehicle crash with a lot of questions that need to be answered," Maryland State Police spokesman Ron Snyder told Bel Air Patch on Friday, June 7. "It's going to take some time."

The double fatal crash happened at approximately 7 a.m. on Monday, March 11.

A tractor-trailer had been traveling south on Route 24 and approached the Ring Factory Road intersection, where it "failed to slow down or stop and crashed into multiple vehicles," based on the preliminary investigation by Maryland State Police. It came to a stop at Ring Factory Road and caught fire, as did two vehicles pinned underneath it.

"Police were flying up 24 and I could see the smoke billowing," one Bel Air Patch reader recalled.

"I approached the accident shortly after it happened and I’ve never seen anything so horrific," another posted on the Bel Air Patch Facebook page that day.

A businessman from Forest Hill and a second-grader from Joppa lost their lives.

Andrew Klein, 65, philanthropist and owner of Klein's ShopRite, was pronounced deceased at the scene. His vehicle was one of the two caught under the tractor-trailer, police said, which was carrying ShopRite merchandise.

Tripp Johnson, 7, a student at William Paca/Old Post Elementary known for being happy and fun-loving, died at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Johnson and his mother were in one of the nine cars hit in the crash that did not catch fire, according to police.

Route 24 was closed for several hours as authorities investigated.

Traffic had already been backed up in the area when the tractor-trailer did not stop or slow down "for unknown reasons" approaching the intersection, police reported the day of the wreck.

The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division and Maryland State Police Crash Team are working on the probe. Snyder said he could not comment on whether anything related to the tractor-trailer caused the crash, citing the ongoing investigation.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as Carloo Watson, 49, of Brunswick, New Jersey, was not impaired by drugs or alcohol, investigators said. He was uninjured, according to police. Patch reached out to a man named Carloo Watson on Facebook, but he did not respond to a request for comment. ShopRite could not immediately comment on the status of Watson's employment as of press time. Patch will update this story with any statements that may be provided.

Some community members questioned whether Route 24's traffic lights, which lead to stop-and-go traffic, coupled with the road's 55 mph speed limit, may be a factor in the collision. Others noted spring's Daylight Saving Time took effect the day before; the National Institutes of Health has shown a rise in fatal crashes the Monday immediately following the time change.

As the investigation continues, readers have posted questions on Bel Air Patch such as: "How come no one said why the truck ran through all the cars, killing two?" and "...why is the driver of that truck not charged yet?"

A little more than six weeks after the tractor-trailer crash in Bel Air, a flatbed tractor-trailer caused a 28-vehicle pileup near Denver that left four dead on Interstate 70. The following day, the driver, who police said was not under the influence at the time of the crash, was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide.

Regarding why charges were not filed immediately in Bel Air, Snyder said it depends on the case. He cited a crash that killed two children in Garrett County on July 3, 2018. Maryland State Police filed charges on March 25, 2019, after months of investigation into the single-vehicle crash.

"Imagine 12 cars involved," Snyder said, of the work required to process the Bel Air wreck.

As of June 7, no charges have been filed in the deadly 12-vehicle crash in Bel Air.

When Maryland State Police completes its investigation, the agency will provide the report to the Harford County State's Attorney, which will determine whether any charges will be filed.

Since the March 11 crash, Harford County community members have continued to process their changed lives.

Sarah Klein said she received emails about the crash the morning it happened since it involved a ShopRite tractor-trailer, and that is her family's business. Unaware that her father had been killed, she said that she was concerned about the driver. "To find out my dad was in the accident was shocking," she told WJZ. She said every day, she gets the inclination to call or text him. Her sister, Rachel Klein, said that her dad would have been devastated by the loss of the 7-year-old's life, but told WJZ of reassurance someone had given her that "they can just imagine my dad holding Tripp's hand as they go up together, and there would be no one who would take care of him better than my dad."

In the weeks that followed the collision, Tripp Johnson's mother, Megan Fulleylove, reportedly underwent spine and arm surgeries. She was released from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center to a rehabilitation center for further care before being discharged.

"Since she’s been home, on a daily basis she endures several hours of intense physical therapy and grows stronger with each session," according to the latest update from the GoFundMe page that was created to support her care and pay for her son's funeral expenses. "Although to look at her you’d never know she was in an accident many weeks ago, the inside of her heart is where her deepest pain resides. For all of you 'Prayer Warriors' out there, please continue, as it is much needed and appreciated. Although it will take a lifetime and many hours of despair to deal with their loss, a brightness resonates from within because of you."

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