MULTIPLE FATALITIES IN QUEEN ANNE'S CO. CRASH

(WYE MILLS, MD) – Three adults, two children, and an unborn child, all members of a Virginia family, were killed early this morning when their car and a tractor trailer collided on Rt. 50 in Queen Anne’s County.

The deceased are identified as:

Regina M. Ayres, 24, of Greenbush, Va;

Zerissa Ayres, 30, and her unborn child, of Greenbush, Va., (Regina’s sister)

Jordan Ayres, 7, of Greenbush, Va., (Regina’s daughter)

Travis M. Straton, 25, of Onancock, Va., (Regina’s boyfriend)

Jonathan Ayres, two months, of Greenbush, Va. (son of Regina and Travis Stratton)

The family was traveling in a 2006 Suzuki Forenza. Four of the five were pronounced dead at the scene. Zerissa Ayres, who was pregnant, was transported by ambulance to Easton Memorial Hospital, where both she and her unborn child were pronounced dead. Investigators have been unable to determine who was driving the car the family was traveling in.

The tractor trailer driver is identified as Yvenet Mayette, 28, of Wilmington, Delaware. He was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he is being treated for injuries.

At about 1:15 a.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Centreville Barrack received calls from motorists reporting a crash at the intersection of Rt. 50 and Rt. 213 in Wye Mills. Responding troopers found the car and the overturned tractor trailer on the south side of eastbound Rt. 50, on both the roadway and the property of a community college.

Fire and EMS personnel from Queen Anne’s County, Centreville, Queenstown, Grasonville, Hillsboro, and Talbot County responded to assist. State Highway Administration members responded and set up detours around the scene. Deputies from the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office also assisted at the scene.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team responded to conduct the investigation. The preliminary investigation indicates the car carrying the Ayres family was westbound on Rt. 50 approaching the intersection with Rt. 213. The tractor trailer was southbound on Rt. 213 at Rt. 50.

The crash occurred in the intersection as the truck impacted the car on the passenger side. Both vehicles traveled across the intersection. The tractor trailer apparently rolled over the car before coming to rest.

Troopers have determined the Ayres family left Greenbush, Va, last night on a trip to Baltimore to visit family. The tractor trailer driver is said to have been headed to his residence in Delaware. The trailer was reportedly loaded with 44,000 pounds of polyfiber the driver had picked up yesterday afternoon in Charlotte, NC. The tractor trailer is owned by Nationwide Solutions, LLC, of St. John, Indiana.

Due to a tractor trailer being involved in the crash, Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division troopers responded to the scene. They will conduct a detailed inspection of the tractor trailer as part of the investigation.

A cause of the crash remains under investigation. There is no indication at this time that alcohol was a factor. The intersection where the crash occurred is controlled by a traffic signal. It is unknown at this time which intersecting road had the red light. The extensive crash scene required investigators to close both east and westbound Rt. 50 to collect evidence and conduct the investigation. Rt. 50 was reopened in both directions at 9:30 a.m.

No charges have been filed. The Queen Anne’s County State’s Attorney’s Office has been notified of the crash and briefed on the ongoing investigation. Officials in that office will be provided the investigation upon its completion for review regarding potential charges.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is urged to contact Maryland State Police at the Centreville Barrack, at 410-758-1101, ext. 7. The investigation is continuing.