It was a dark and rainy night on Friday, December 7, when a teenager from Severn died while attempting to cross the street in Anne Arundel County.
Eighteen-year-old Ajia Marketta Owens was trying to get across Solomons Island Road (Maryland Route 2) at the intersection of West Street in Annapolis shortly after 9:30 p.m. when the accident occurred.
According to a preliminary police report, Owens was wearing dark clothing and was trying to cross the street at a portion of the intersection that did not have a marked crosswalk. Owens was attempting to cross from east to west quickly on a dark, rainy night.
Just as she entered the north side of the intersection, two vehicles headed northbound entered the intersection as well. Police have confirmed that the two vehicles did have a green light at the time of the accident.
The first vehicle was able to avoid hitting Owens. Unfortunately, the second was not. The driver of the second vehicle has been identified as Johnathan Paul Shipp, a resident of Edgewater. He hit Owens with the right front corner of his Jeep Wrangler.
Owens was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the accident.
According to Anne Arundel County Police, Shipp was not speeding nor was he drunk or on drugs. There are no charges pending at this time, although the accident is still under investigation.
The attorneys at Nickelsporn & Lundin express our deepest sympathies to the parents, family, and friends of Ms. Owens during their time of grief.