PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — A tow truck driver was hit and killed Thursday while helping another driver who had pulled over on the side of the road, according to Maryland State Police (MSP).
MSP said the crash happened around 12:10 p.m. Police shut down I-95 North at Powder Mill Road during the response.
Police said they believed the tow truck driver stopped to help the driver of a Toyota who had pulled over on the left side of the road. During this time, another driver sideswiped the disabled Toyota and hit the tow truck driver, killing him.
Police later identified the tow truck driver as Osama Abdelfattah Marey, 31, of Suitland, Maryland.
That at-fault car then hit a third vehicle, a Honda, which was then hit by a tractor-trailer. The driver of the Honda, a 76-year-old woman, was taken to the hospital to treat her injuries.
The driver of the other car stayed at the scene of the crash.
Police have not confirmed whether Maryland’s “Move over” law applies in this incident, but it does shed light on the topic.
“Not only are you required to slow down and or move over if it’s safe to do so for emergency vehicles, tow truck drivers, and other emergency vehicles but even for motorists at the side of the road, if they are in fact displaying hazard signs or hazard lights I should say so it’s very important even if you can’t move over to slow down, reduce your speed to give safe space to those at the side of the roadway,” said Ragina Ali, Public and Government Affairs Manager for AAA.
The accident still remains under investigation.