Two people died the afternoon of Thursday, March 15 in a head-on auto accident in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Police are still trying to piece together the facts surrounding the fatal crash, which involved a small passenger car and a tow truck.
The accident occurred in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring just a few minutes before 12:30 pm.
Apparently, a black 2006 Toyota Corolla was headed eastbound on the road when, for reasons still unknown, the driver swerved into oncoming traffic. The car then collided head-on with a black 1995 Ford tow truck that was traveling westbound on the same road.
The female passenger in the car died upon impact. She has been identified as 23-year-old Sylvia Clarice Taiko Reiff, a resident of Silver Spring.
The driver of the car, 26-year-old Olin Dale Sorenson, received fatal injuries in the crash and died in the ambulance on the way to MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
The driver of the tow truck was also taken to the hospital with injuries, which police said were not life-threatening. His name is Melesio J. Monterroza Cartagena, age 51.
Police are still unsure what caused Sorenson to cross the center lane into oncoming traffic. They are asking any witnesses of the accident to contact the Collision Reconstruction Unit at 301-840-2435 with any information they may have regarding the crash.
The Silver Spring accident attorneys at Nickelsporn and Lundin offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims involved in this tragic accident.