Hughesville Incident: 23-Year-Old Woman Dies After Trash Truck Overturns
A 23-year-old woman has died following a vehicle collision in Hughesville on Saturday, November 2.
At approximately 9:58 a.m., troopers from the Maryland State Police La Plata Barrack responded to a report of a serious motor vehicle accident on Route 231, near Route 381. Due to the severity of the incident, the Maryland State Police CRASH Team was called in to conduct the investigation.
According to a preliminary investigation, a Ford Mustang driven by 23-year-old Osiel Gomez-Garcia of Salisbury, with passenger Manuel De Leon Mateo, 23, was making a right turn from a private driveway onto eastbound Route 231. Meanwhile, a Kenworth trash truck operated by 50-year-old James Thompson of Waldorf was traveling westbound on Route 231.
As the Mustang turned right, it entered the westbound lane, prompting Thompson to take evasive action in an attempt to avoid a collision. Despite his efforts, the Ford collided with the Kenworth trash truck, causing it to rotate and overturn. The overturned Kenworth landed on the driver’s side of a Honda Civic driven by 23-year-old Hope Duker of Hughesville.
Tragically, Duker was pronounced dead at the scene. The other individuals involved in the accident were transported to local hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities have indicated that driver error is a contributing factor in the collision.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is urged to contact Sgt. J. Zimmerman of the Maryland State Police CRASH Team at 301-392-1231 or to send an email with a statement to justin.zimmerman@maryland.gov.
