Salisbury News

(ABINGDON, MD) – A driver who struck a car carrying a pregnant woman and then fled the scene on I-95 in Harford County last night was not counting on emergency road repair up ahead that stopped traffic and included a state trooper working a special assignment at the location.

The suspect is identified as Bryan C. Kafka, 25, of Middle River, Md. He is charged with driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, failure to remain at the scene of a personal injury crash, and reckless driving. After his arrest, he was transported to the Harford County Interagency Processing Center for his initial appearance before a court commissioner.

Shortly before 10:00 p.m. yesterday, Maryland state troopers at the JFK Highway Barrack were dispatched to a hit and run crash in Harford County on southbound I-95, south of Rt. 24. Arriving troopers obtained a description of a Chevrolet pickup truck that struck a Buick passenger car carrying two people, one of whom was pregnant. The pickup did not stop and fled from the scene. Troopers immediately issued a lookout for the suspect vehicle.

Unfortunately for the driver who fled, a Maryland Transportation Authority emergency roadway repair crew was working just south of where the crash occurred. Workers had traffic stopped on southbound I-95 due to work occurring in the roadway. In addition, a state trooper was positioned at the construction site with the highway crew for added site safety. The trooper quickly located the suspect driver, whose escape had been prevented by the stopped traffic and by the heavy damage his vehicle had sustained in the crash.

Troopers noted the driver, identified as Kafka, was exhibiting signs of driving under the influence. Further investigation led to his arrest for that and the other offenses listed above.

The two people in the vehicle hit by Kafka, Kuriakos and Jaclyn Petropoulos, of Flushing, NY, were transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital. EMS personnel described the victims’ injures as non-life threatening.