Howard police Wednesday identified the four people who died in a car collision in Jessup as a Laurel mother and her two daughters as well as a family friend.
Another daughter, Rachel Lynn Hatt, 3, remains in critical condition at Johns Hopkins Children?s Center in Baltimore City, police said.
“At this point the whole family is grieving, and we just need some time,” said Valerie Hatt, of Glen Burnie, who is Rachel Hatt?s aunt.
The family and friend were riding in a 2000 Nissan Altima that crossed the center line into oncoming traffic Tuesday morning on Route 1 near Patuxent Range Road and collided head-on into a box truck.
Rhonda Lynn White, 42, of Fifth Street in Laurel, and daughters Stephanie Ann Dorsey, 24, and 7-month-old Riley Ash Smith
were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, Andrew Ray Sturgil, 31, of Cumberland, Ky., who was Dorsey?s friend, also died at the scene.
Hatt was wearing a seat belt but should have been in a child safety seat based on her age and weight, police said.
Smith was buckled into a child safety seat in the back seat, and a child safety seat could have reduced Hatt?s injuries, police
said.
Dorsey rode in the front seat and was wearing a seat belt, but White was not wearing a seat belt in the back seat, police said.
The driver of the box truck, Stanley Wells, 54, of Baltimore City, and his passenger Sean Foote, 23, of Columbia, were working for a liquor distribution company at the time of the incident, police said. Both suffered minor injuries.
Police said they did not plan to press charges against Wells and were continuing to investigate why the Nissan crossed the double-yellow line.
Anyone with relevant information should contact police at 410-313-3700.
