At approximately 1:44 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, 2024, patrol units from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office (SMCSO) were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Point Lookout Road and Chingville Road in Leonardtown, MD. Units arrived on the scene to find a single 2008 Honda Odyssey upside down on Chingville Road.
The SMCSO Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to the scene, and a preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle, operated by Ashley Nicole Nolan, 27, of Leonardtown, MD, was traveling north on Point Lookout Road when the driver failed to negotiate a turn. The car left the road and overturned several times before striking a tree.
Three juvenile occupants were found not to be correctly restrained; two juveniles were ejected from the vehicle and were transported to area trauma centers with life-threatening injuries. A third juvenile was transported to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital and was later pronounced deceased.
Nolan, the driver, sustained minor injuries and was transported to MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital.
Currently, alcohol and speed are considered contributing factors in the crash.
In response to the incident, Sheriff Steve Hall said, “No day should ever begin with news like this. It is both difficult to process and to believe. Based on the preliminary investigative information, decisions were made that have caused the loss of the innocent and marred the lives of families in our communities forever.”
Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or any events leading up to it is asked to call Corporal Dale Reppel at Dale.Reppel.stmaryscountymd.gov or 240-496-6694.
