Five family members killed in collision in Maryland

Five Virginia family members were killed early Saturday when their car collided with a tractor trailer near Maryland’s Eastern Shore in Wye Mills in Queen Anne’s County. Two adults, two children–an infant and a 7-year-old– and a pregnant woman were in the vehicle.

According to a statement from the Maryland State Police, the family had left Greenbush, Va. late Friday and were heading to Baltimore to visit family members. They were headed northwest around 1 a.m. when they collided with a tractor trailer traveling south on an intersecting route.

Four of the family members–24-year-old Regina Ayres, Regina’s 7-year-old daughter Jordan Ayres, Ayres’ boyfriend 25-year-old Travis Straton and their two-month-old son Jonathan Ayres–were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Regina Ayres’ sister Zerissa, 30, was taken to a hospital in Easten. She and her unborn daughter were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Yvenet Mayette, the driver of the tractor-trailer, was on his way to his home in Wilmington, Del. when the accident occurred, according to the police. Mayette, 28, was airlifted to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and is being treated for his injuries. His vehicle was filled with 44,000 pounds of polyfiber he picked up on Friday in Charlotte, N.C. The tractor trailer is owned by Nationwide Solutions LLC of St. John, Ind.

Police received calls motorists reporting the crash at 1:15 a.m. Responding police found the overturned tractor trailer and the car on the south side of Route 50 on the road and the property of a community college.

Fire and EMS crews from Queen Anne’s County, Grasonville, Queenstown, Centreville, Hillsboro and Talbot County reported to assist the responding police. Due to a tractor trailer being involved in the collision, the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division also responded to the scene.

The police statement said that the tractor trailer hit the Ayres family’s 2006 Suzuki Forenza on the passenger side and proceeded to roll over the vehicle before coming to a stop. Both vehicles reportedly crossed over the intersection.

No files have been charged. According to the Washington Post, the crash is under investigation and will include a detailed inspection of the tractor trailer. The road remained closed both ways early Saturday due to the investigation, but it was reopened at 9:30 a.m. It is unclear who was driving the car and who had the green light, and there is no indication that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

The family was planning to attend a baby shower for Zerissa Ayres. She worked at McLean headquarters of PRS Inc. as a staff liaison and an administrative office manager, which provides rehabilitation services for mental illness patients, until August. She was certified in psychiatric rehabilitation.

PRS president and chief executive Wendy Gradison expressed her grief for the loss of Aryes. Gradison called her “terrific,” “delightful” and “full of life.”

Friends of Ayres took to Facebook to express their grief and posted tributes in her honor. One post was a baby shower invitation for “Sweet Baby Zoe” equipped with a sonogram image.

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