One dead, four injured after four-vehicle crash near Cheverly

Monday, July 7, 2008

One dead, four injured after four-vehicle crash near Cheverly

by Natalie McGill | Staff Writer

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Prince George’s County police are investigating a four-vehicle crash that killed a U.S. government contractor early Sunday morning.

Police said that at about 1:50 a.m., Deran Butler, 40, of the 700 block of Ritchie Avenue in Silver Spring was found dead at the Landover Road⁄Kilmer Street intersection after he apparently lost control of his Chevrolet Camaro sedan. The car hit the median and flipped, ejecting Butler from his seat. Butler was a contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Police spokesman Henry Tippett said Butler and a taxicab driver were traveling north along Landover Road when Butler ran into the taxicab.

The cab driver then lost control, crossed the median and ran into the path of two oncoming vehicles: a county Department of Corrections van carrying a female and two male inmates and a green Nissan Altima driven by a woman. Both vehicles were traveling southbound on Landover Road. The occupants of the three vehicles were treated at a nearby hospital for minor injuries and released.

“[Investigators] are saying the deceased is probably the one at fault and that alcohol may have been a contributing factor,“ Tippett said.

He said police have not yet determined how fast the vehicles were going and are still awaiting the results of Butler’s blood test.