Driver In Wrong-Way Crash Hits Tree In Columbia, Officials Say

COLUMBIA, MD – Police said a man was in critical condition following a crash into a tree on Snowden River Parkway Friday night. He had been driving a Dodge Charger the wrong way on the road at the time of the collision and had sped away from an officer who tried to stop him, police said.

Christopher Damien Williams, 40, of Glen Burnie, was listed in critical but stable condition at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, officials reported Saturday morning.

According to authorities, an officer on patrol saw Williams hit a median while trying to make a turn on McGaw Road around 10:40 p.m. The officer tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the Charger sped off; and due to the high rate of speed, police said the pursuit ended.

The driver was last seen headed south on the northbound part of Snowden River Parkway before he was found, his vehicle crashed into a tree off the road, according to officials.

Williams was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, and alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash, police reported.

Snowden River Parkway was closed between Berger Road and Rustling Leaf for about two hours following the crash, according to police.

File photo by Elizabeth Janney.