A fiery rear-end collision in Crofton Thursday claimed the life of one man and injured another.
Salvador Enrique Ayala-Mendoza, 34, of Crofton, died at the scene near the intersection of Crain Highway, also known as Route 3, and Waugh Chapel Road. He was driving a Ford Explorer, which caught fire when it struck the rear of a tractor-trailer.
Ayala-Mendoza had been driving south on the highway shortly after 2 a.m., when he moved into the center lane to pass the truck, police said. He lost control of the vehicle, moved to the far left lane and then slid back across all three lanes into the right turn lane, where the crash and fire occurred.
A man riding in the rear seat escaped from the Ford Explorer and was treated and released from University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Two other unidentified men exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot for unknown reasons, police said. The driver and passenger of the Freightliner Tractor were not injured.
Speed and driver error may have contributed to the collision, police said.
Mary.gail.hare@baltsun.com