A road-rage incident that killed a couple more than three years ago remains unsolved, and Maryland State Police are still seeking information that will lead to a pickup truck driver involved in the fatal crash.
On April 11, 2007, college sweethearts Christian M. Luciano, 28, and Lindsay L. Bender, 25, of Harrisonburg, Pa., were traveling south on Interstate 270 when they crossed paths with the driver of a green pickup truck in southern Frederick County. It was around 8 a.m., and the couple traveling in a 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible was headed to meet Bender’s family at a beach house in North Carolina. With them was their Rottweiler, Roxie.
While the vehicles were going down the interstate, Luciano and the pickup truck driver began arguing and exchanging hand gestures, police said. South of Frederick, near the Urbana exit, the pickup truck passed the convertible then pulled in front of Luciano and Bender. Suddenly, the pickup driver “deliberately and abruptly” slammed on his brakes, police said. The convertible swerved to avoid the pickup and traveled off the right side of the roadway, striking several trees and rolling over. Police say Luciano and Bender were ejected onto the grassy area beyond the roadway and died almost instantly.
The driver of the pickup truck sped away from the scene.
Troopers said Roxie was found the next day walking near the site of the crash.
Investigators have not said how the fight started or how fast the vehicles were traveling at the time of the crash.
Troopers have described the driver as a white male in his 30s with dark, collar-length hair who was wearing a dark baseball cap. The driver was behind the wheel of a light-green late 1990s or early 2000 model Chevy Silverado standard-cab truck with a diamond-pattern rear bumper. Troopers have received more than 150 tips from people about this case, but they still seek the public’s assistance.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact troopers at the Frederick Barrack at 301-644-4151. Bender family members have offered a $5,000 reward.
