3 Injured In Head-On Lothian Crash: Police

LOTHIAN, MD — An Upper Marlboro woman was critically injured Thursday when her vehicle collided head-on with a pickup in Lothian. Anne Arundel County Police say the accident happened about 6:20 p.m. on Mount Zion Marlboro Road (MD-408) at Frank Moreland Place in Lothian.

Investigators say a 2011 Ford Focus driven by Carolyn Joyce Mercer 27, of th 11000 block of Croom Road in Upper Marlboro, was southbound on Mount Zion Marlboro Road when the car crossed the center line and struck a northbound Ford F350 pickup truck head on. Mercer and her brother, Brandon C. Mercer, 25, also of Upper Marlboro, who was a passenger in the Focus, were flown to Shock Trauma in Baltimore. Brandon Mercer suffered minor injuries, while Carolyn Mercer is in stable condition and expected to survive, police said.

The driver of the 2002 pickup —Mark W. Mandley, 41, of the 900 block of Marzoff Road in Deale — was driven to Prince George’s County Trauma Center for treatment of minor injuries.

Police say the preliminary cause of the crash appears to be Carolyn Mercer's failure to remain right of center. Speed does not appear to be a factor. The Traffic Safety Section is handing the investigation and any charges will be after review by the state's attorney.

Photo via Anne Arundel County Police