Two men died in separate, single-vehicle accidents in Maryland during the Christmas week. A 32-year-old Baltimore man died December 24, and a 44-year-old Brandywine man died December 26. Details of both accidents are below:
Jerome “Jerry” Matthew Ziemski, a 32-year-old man from Baltimore, died in a single-vehicle accident in Essex on Christmas Eve. Ziemski was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Corvette at 7:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve when the accident occurred. He was at the intersection of Hyde Park Road and South Marlyn Avenue when, for reasons unknown, he lost control of his vehicle. The Corvette overturned and crashed into a tree. Ziemski was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to Baltimore County Police. The accident is under investigation, and it is still unclear what caused Ziemski to lose control of his vehicle.
Just two days later, a 44-year-old man from Brandywine died in a similar crash. James Townsend was traveling northbound along Cherry Tree Crossing Road at 8:40 p.m. on Thursday, December 26. For reasons unknown, he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree near the intersection of Old Indian Head Highway. Townsend was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the Brandywine auto accident. Prince George’s County police were trying to determine whether speed might have played a factor in the accident. The crash remains under investigation.
We express our sympathies to the families of both of these men and implore drivers to be extra cautious when driving at night. Nighttime accidents are more likely to end in fatality, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Despite fewer cars on the roads, the fatality rate per mile driven is three times higher at night than during the day.