Upper Marlboro woman killed in early morning Route 301 crash

Brenda Godbolt, a 61-year-old Upper Marlboro resident, died before sunrise at Route 301 and Village Drive, a deadly collision that left one driver injured and put renewed attention on the safety of a major Prince George’s County intersection.

Maryland State Police said troopers from the College Park Barrack responded at about 4 a.m. April 30, 2026, after a Mazda 3 and a Chevrolet Silverado crashed on northbound Route 301 near Village Drive in Upper Marlboro. Emergency medical service personnel pronounced Godbolt dead at the scene. She was the driver and sole occupant of the Mazda.

The other driver, Ronald Spangler, Jr., 30, of Glen Burnie, was behind the wheel of the Silverado. Police said he refused medical treatment at the scene.

According to the preliminary investigation, the Silverado was traveling northbound on Route 301 and approaching a traffic signal when investigators believe the Mazda entered the intersection and crossed into the path of oncoming traffic. Maryland State Police said the crash remains active and ongoing, with the Crash Team leading the investigation.

The collision shut down lanes for about five hours while troopers and the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration handled closures and detours. For commuters and truck traffic that rely on Route 301 through Upper Marlboro, the prolonged closure underscored how quickly a single crash can ripple across the corridor before the morning rush begins.

The findings will be reviewed by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The death also comes against a broader traffic-safety backdrop. Maryland’s Zero Deaths crash dashboard showed 110 reported roadway fatalities statewide year-to-date as of April 30, 2026, down from 137 at the same point in 2025. Even with that decline, Godbolt’s death adds another loss to a road network where high-speed traffic, signalized intersections and early-morning visibility can turn a routine drive into a fatal one in seconds.

For Prince George’s County, the crash at Route 301 and Village Drive is now part of a larger public safety question: how to prevent deadly collisions at busy crossings where through traffic and turning movements meet in the dark. The investigation will determine what happened in this case, but the human cost is already clear. Brenda Godbolt did not make it home.