A 48-year-old man was killed early yesterday in a fiery head-on collision in Carroll County, Maryland state police said. The victim was identified as Martin Mentis of an unknown address.

The crash, near Hampstead, occurred when Lester Lee Rhoton, 32, of Westminster braked to avoid another vehicle, police said. They said his 1985 Ford pickup skidded across the center line into the path of Mentis' 1990 Dodge Colt.

Both vehicles caught fire. Police said Mentis was trapped in his vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene. Rhoton was taken by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was in critical but stable condition last night.

Pub Date: 7/04/98