Three Killed in Two-Car Crash on Route 50

Maryland State Police were waiting last night to interview at least one of three people who survived a car crash on Route 50 near Landover that killed three others early yesterday morning.

The crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m., when a speeding car plowed into the back of a sedan on the eastbound lanes of the highway. The three who were killed were in the sedan, and at least one of the occupants was so badly injured that police were unable to conduct an interview.

Police said a 2003 Acura MDX on Route 50 near Route 410 struck a 2008 Nissan Sentra traveling in the same direction, causing the drivers of both vehicles to lose control. The Nissan, with five occupants, left the road and struck a tree. Two people who were not wearing seat belts were thrown from the car, police said.

Those two and another passenger from the Nissan were taken to Prince George's Hospital Center, where they died of their injuries. Three others, including the driver of the Acura, were taken to hospitals where they are being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Police declined to release the identities of those killed pending notification of their next of kin. They identified the driver of the Acura as Michael Madlock of Bowie. According to police, witnesses said Madlock, who was alone, was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed when the collision occurred. No charges have been filed.

Eastbound Route 50 was closed for about six hours after the crash, police said. It was at least the third fatal accident in two weeks on the stretch of Route 50 inside the Capital Beltway, including an incident Tuesday in which a Suitland man was killed after his vehicle struck a light pole and flipped over a stone wall near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.