One driver is dead after his vehicle veered off a highway in Laurel Wednesday evening and crashed into a tree, according to the Anne Arundel County Police Department.
Officials have not yet identified the 44-year-old man, other than to say he was a Pasadena resident. Police are actively seeking next of kin to notify, according to a news release.
At approximately 6:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash on Maryland Route 198 near Route 32 in Laurel. A preliminary investigation revealed a 2018 Mazda SUV was traveling east on Route 198 when, for unknown reasons, it left the roadway, overturned and struck a tree.
Cpl. Chris Anderson, a department spokesperson, said there was nothing “immediately present” to suggest alcohol was involved in the crash.
The driver was the only occupant in the Mazda, police said, and first responders from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene.
The crash is under investigation by the police department’s Traffic Safety Section.
As of Thursday, there have been 364 fatalities on Maryland roads this year, compared to 339 across the same time period in 2022, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. That broad figure does not include deaths on private roads, some areas in parking lots or incidents involving a driver who suffered a medical event before the crash, according to MDOT.
This story may be updated.