Heartbreak after woman dies in Baltimore County crash that closed I-795 for hours
BALTIMORE -- Friends and family are mourning the life of a woman who died in a crash on I-795 near Franklin Boulevard in Owings Mills just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
Maryland State Police said 30-year-old Kaitlin Elizabeth Stranik from Hanover, Pennsylvania, was killed when her Toyota RAV4 struck a vehicle that had traveled into her pathway head-on.
Police said a 2011 Ford F150 pickup truck, driven by Lashawn Clarence Wiley, 23, of Baltimore was traveling south on I-795 when it crashed into the rear of a 2005 Ford F350 pickup truck.
"Both trucks rotated into the grass median where each struck the metal cable barrier and traveled into the northbound lanes of I-795," State police wrote in a statement. "The Ford F350 truck crashed head-on into 2017 Toyota RAV4. A fourth vehicle, a 2016 Toyota Corolla, crashed into debris from the other crash."
#UPDATE @MDSP are investigating a fatal four-vehicle crash that occurred this afternoon in Baltimore County. FULL RELEASE: https://t.co/DyhhgUulY1
— MD State Police (@MDSP) November 23, 2023
A friend of Stranik wrote on WJZ's Facebook page that they were devastated by the news of the deadly crash.
"I love you Kate...we had plans for dinner this coming Tuesday," they wrote. "I'm in total shock right now."
Regular commuters on I-795 said the loss of life is a tragedy.
"It's frustrating because people race up and down there all the time," Taylor Wilton told WJZ. "Being able to see my loved ones, it's heartbreaking they won't be able to see theirs."
Sean said he regularly drives on that stretch of interstate, too.
"My heart and prayers go out to her family, and it's just a reminder that we need to be as safe and as conscious from the moment we wake up to the moment we get home because tomorrow is definitely not promised—especially when you are out here on the road," Sean said. "You have to remind yourself to drive for not only for yourself but others, too. We all want to get home to our family safe."
The Maryland State Police said its Crash Team is investigating the incident and will forward the results of that investigation to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office. Prosecutors will make a final determination about whether any charges are warranted.