Fatal crash on Beltway in Prince George's County kills Bowie man

Mijah Smith, 24, of Bowie, died after his BMW SUV left the inner loop of Interstate 495 near Maryland 704, hit a barrier and came to rest disabled between the shoulder and lane one, Maryland State Police said.

The Acura that followed tried to avoid Smith’s vehicle but struck the barrier and the BMW anyway. The other driver was not injured. Troopers from the Maryland State Police College Park Barrack responded about 10:13 p.m. Monday, April 13, and lanes were closed for roughly two hours while investigators worked the scene.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the active and ongoing investigation. Officials have not said yet why the BMW left the roadway or whether speed, alcohol, distraction or road conditions played any role. What the preliminary account does show is how quickly a single loss of control on the Beltway can turn into a second collision in a live traffic lane, especially on a stretch that handles heavy commuter volume near the Capital Beltway and Maryland 704.

The crash also fits a wider pattern of deadly roadway violence in Prince George’s County. Maryland’s Fatal Crash Dashboard, maintained by the Maryland Highway Safety Office and Maryland State Police, compiles fatal-crash data from police reports submitted through the Automated Crash Reporting System, and the numbers can change as reports are updated. In statewide reporting on that dashboard, Prince George’s County has been identified as one of Maryland’s deadliest counties for traffic fatalities, with 99 lives lost in the period reviewed.

For Smith’s family and for drivers who travel the Beltway every day, the death is a stark reminder of how fragile safety can be on one of the region’s busiest corridors. A barrier strike, a disabled SUV in lane one and a second impact were enough to snarl traffic for two hours and add another fatal crash to a county that continues to struggle with roadway deaths.