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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. 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 …

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Report: Third Person Dead From Christmas Eve Beltway Crash

Hospitalized 72-year-old woman dies of her injuries, The Gazette reports.

A third person has died from a Christmas Eve car crash on the Capital Beltway, The Gazette reports. The crash occurred around 7:40 p.m. near the Connecticut Avenue exit. According to police, a 36-year-old Silver Spring woman lost control of her Chevrolet Malibu, started hydroplaning and struck two other cars. A 17-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died the night of the crash. The following day, a 72-year-old woman was pronounced dead of her injuries at the hospital, according to The Gazette. The driver, who was treated and released, was believed to be under the influence of alcohol, according to the Gazette. Read the full story at The Gazette.

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Vehicular Accident Closes Outer Loop of Beltway

The accident occurred at around 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

A vehicular accident closed all lanes of the westbound Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway near the Connecticut Avenue exit (No. 33) on Christmas Eve, according to Montgomery County police. The accident may have been fatal, police added. County police received a call about the accident at 7:36 p.m. Nearly an hour later, police still were investigating at the scene of the accident. No further information had been released at that time.

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TRAFFIC MAP: Thanksgiving Congestion Expected, Police Urge Safety

The American Automobile Association estimates that 882,700 Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more Thanksgiving weekend.

Hitting the road this Thanksgiving?  You're not the only one. The American Automobile Association estimates that 882,700 Marylanders will travel 50 miles or more Thanksgiving weekend—less than a half-percent increase from last year. More than 90 percent of travelers will travel by automobile.  This could add congestion to the major roadways like I-270, the Capital Beltway ad I-95. Check this article for traffic updates or follow the map on the Patch Commute page.   The Maryland State Highway Administration urges drivers to call 511 or visit md511.org for traffic updates.  According to a release from the SHA: "To further ease congestion, the agency will also suspend all non-emergency roadwork on SHA-maintained roadways between Wednesday, …

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Break the Jam: Leaders Urge Study Of Fast Lanes Over Legion Bridge

State transportation officials should consider dedicating Beltway travel lanes for carpools, buses and vans between the planned Virginia HOT lanes and the I-270 HOV lanes, Montgomery and Fairfax leaders say.

State transportation officials should study dedicated travel lanes for vans, carpools and buses on a congested seven-mile stretch of the Capital Beltway that includes the American Legion Bridge, Montgomery and Fairfax leaders urged Tuesday. HOT lanes for toll payers and high-occupancy vehicles are planned for the Beltway in Virginia from the Springfield Interchange to just north of the Dulles Toll Road, and set to open later this year. But Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner and Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova pointed out a seven-mile gap in dedicated high-occupancy travel lanes between the northern terminus of the planned HOT lanes and the I-270 HOV lanes at the 270 spur in a Tuesday letter to Maryland and …

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No Injuries Following School Bus Fire On Beltway

Response to bus fire likely to tie up traffic on the Inner Loop.

Students were evacuated from a school bus on the Capital Beltway's Inner Loop Monday afternoon after the bus caught fire, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters responded to the report of the bus fire shortly before 4 p.m. near the River Road exit, according to Capt. Oscar Garcia, a Fire and Rescue spokesman. There was no active fire when responders arrived, Garcia said. Students and staff were evacuated safely and there were no reported injuries, Garcia said. Initial information indicated the bus was not operated by Montgomery County Public Schools, Garcia said. He wasn't immediately able to confirm which school or jurisdiction operated the bus. Students and staff were transported from the scene by a second bus, …

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Beltway Crash Injures Six

Three people suffering from life-threatening injuries following Friday evening crash.

Six people are injured -- three with life-threatening injuries -- following a Friday evening crash on the Inner Loop of the Capital Beltway. The accident happened on the Beltway near River Road around 6:45 p.m., according to a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman. An SUV overturned, ejecting two people and trapping one inside, according to Assistant Chief Scott Graham of MCFRS. The SUV also struck other vehicles, Graham said. Five of the victims suffered traumatic injuries, and of those, three suffered injuries that were life-threatening, Graham said. One person suffered minor injuries.  The victims were transported to local trauma centers. Both Montgomery County and Fairfax Fire and Rescue responded to the scene, Graham said. The …

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Beltway Outer Loop Re-Opens Following Car Fire

Single-vehicle accident closed all lanes of the Beltway's Outer Loop around 10:30 Sunday morning.

UPDATE, 11:35 a.m.: All lanes of the Outer Loop of the Beltway have re-opened, according to Maryland State Police. Original post, 10:55 a.m.: A car fire prompted the closure of all lanes of the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway around 10:30 Sunday morning just before Connecticut Avenue. A car involved in a single-vehicle accident caught fire, according to the Maryland State Police. No one was in the vehicle at the time it caught fire and no one was injured, according to police. Shortly before 11 a.m., lanes were expected to re-open shortly.

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One Dead After Two-Car Collision on Beltway

The crash shut down all lanes of traffic on the inner loop at Connecticut Avenue for more than two hours, WTOP is reporting.