Community Corner

Christmas Eve Crash Victim Identified as B-CC Senior

Anthony Benlizar, 17, was among three who died in the Beltway crash.

One of the victims in a fatal Christmas Eve crash on the Capital Beltway was Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School senior Anthony Benlizar, The Gazette reports.

Benlizar, 17, of the 1900 block of East West Highway in Silver Spring, and Jasmine A. Fajemisin, 30, of the 1900 block of Rosemary Hills Drive in Silver Spring, both died the night of the crash, according to Trooper Baum of the Maryland State Police.

Florentina J. Gonzalez, 72, also of the 1900 block of East West Highway in Silver Spring, died Jan. 1 at Innova Fairfax Hospital, Baum said. The Gazette reports that Gonzalez was Benlizar's grandmother.

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All three were riding in a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 37-year-old Rosa Benlizar when the Malibu lost control and struck a 1994 Toyota truck.

The Malibu was then struck by a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado truck, according to The Gazette.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Media outlets, including Patch, initially reported that Gonzalez died of her injuries at the hospital Dec. 25. The AP issued a correction Dec. 30 indicating that Gonzalez was alive and being treated for her injuries.

According to Baum, Gonzalez passed away Jan. 1.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School's PTSA is planning to honor Anthony Benlizar's memory, and a page will be dedicated to him in the school's yearbook, The Gazette reported.


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