Three people killed after SUV strikes concrete pillar in Elkton, police say
BALTIMORE -- A single-vehicle crash in Cecil County killed three people on Friday night, according to the Maryland State Police.
State troopers learned of the crash around 11:40 p.m. They were sent to the southbound lanes of I-95 at the Maryland Route 316 overpass in Elkton, according to authorities.
That's where they found a 2017 Acura MDX that had struck a concrete pillar at the Route 316 overpass, troopers said.
Three people were inside of the vehicle: Savitri Pokhan, 43, of New York, Renaldo Smith, 28, of Henrico, Virginia, and Michael Zazim, 20, of Henrico, Virginia, according to authorities.
Medics pronounced all three of them dead at the site of the crash, troopers said.
Their bodies were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, which is where each person will undergo an autopsy, according to authorities.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that Pokhan was driving the Acura and traveling southbound on I-95 when for some reason he left the travel lanes and struck the guardrail on the right shoulder, troopers said.
The vehicle then traveled up the guardrail before striking a sign and the concrete pillar, according to the Maryland State Police.
Investigators believe that Smith was sitting in the front seat while Zazim was sitting in the backseat.
Neither Smith nor Zazim appeared to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the authorities.
Investigators believe alcohol may have contributed to the crash.