Crime & Safety

Female Dundalk Truck Driver Killed

The accident occurred on I-70 near Hagerstown.

A female truck driver from Dundalk was killed Monday afternoon as she was attempting to make vehicle repairs on the shoulder of Interstate 70 near Hagerstown.

Corethia A. Cross, 56, suffered critical injuries after another truck collided with the vehicle she was attempting to repair at approximately 2:30 p.m. Monday. She died shortly after being flown to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown by Maryland State Police. 

According to online records, Cross lived in the 600 block of Avondale Road in Dundalk.

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Cross was serving as co-driver of a 2005 Volvo truck tractor, which was pulling a trailer. The Volvo truck experienced mechanical problems and had stopped on the right shoulder of I-70, where Cross attempted to make repairs, according to a Maryland State Police press release.

As Cross stood in front of the Volvo truck, a 2004 Ford F550 tow truck drove off the I-70 roadway and struck the rear of the trailer.

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"The impact of the crash forced the tractor portion of the tractor-trailer into Cross and propelled her into the guardrail on the right roadside," according to the Maryland State Police statement. 

The Volvo truck is owned by Gunthers Enterprises, LLC, of Hanover, MD, and was driven by Melvin Harvey, 47, from Rocky Mount, NC, according to state police. Harvey was not injured in the accident.

An employee answering the telephone at Gunthers Enterprises told Patch the company is declining comment at this time.

The Ford tow truck is owned by South Berkeley Wrecker Service in Martinsburg, WV, and was driven by Lance W. McCloud, 44, of Kearneysville, WV. Why the tow truck drove off the road is unclear at this point, according to Maryland State Police, and the investigation remains ongoing.

State police also flew McCloud to Meritus Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash, which caused lengthy delays Monday, occurred off the eastbound lane of I-70, west of the 38-mile marker, on the uphill side of South Mountain in Washington County, Marlyand State Police said.


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