Elkridge, Maryland: Two Men Killed in Wrong-Way Crash on I-95 in Howard County

Two men died early Saturday when a Jeep Gladiator traveling the wrong way on Interstate 95 in Howard County hit a Jeep Grand Cherokee head on near Elkridge, Maryland State Police said. The crash closed all northbound lanes of I-95 for hours while troopers investigated.

Troopers from the Waterloo Barrack responded shortly before 4:30 a.m. to northbound I-95 at the 44 mile marker in Elkridge. State police said the early findings show the Gladiator was traveling southbound in lane one of the northbound lanes. The Grand Cherokee was traveling northbound in the same lane when the two vehicles collided.

Both drivers died at the scene

State police identified the Gladiator driver as Taleb Ait Zakariae, 37, of Rosedale. The Grand Cherokee driver was Timothy Summerville Jr., 47, of Baltimore. Emergency medical crews pronounced both men dead at the scene. Neither vehicle carried any passengers, police said.

Police said they believe alcohol and speed may have contributed to the crash. The release gave no further detail on how the Gladiator came to enter the northbound lanes against traffic, and the investigation is still active.

Northbound I-95 closed through the morning

All lanes of northbound I-95 were closed for the investigation, along with lane one of southbound I-95. The Baltimore Banner reported the northbound lanes stayed shut until about 10:30 a.m., citing the Maryland Department of Transportation. Howard County Police officers assisted at the scene, and State Highway Administration crews helped run the road closures, state police said.

FOX 5 DC reported early Saturday that troopers had shut the northbound lanes at mile marker 44 while crash investigators documented the scene, and the station reported the southbound lanes were affected during the first response and later reopened. State police published the names of both drivers in a release issued at 9:47 a.m. Saturday. The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation, and police announced no further findings by Saturday evening.

For drivers in Howard County, I-95 is the main north south route between Baltimore and Washington, and a full closure at Elkridge pushed Saturday morning traffic onto local roads for hours. Police have not said when the investigation will be complete.