Car Accident

Baltimore police are mourning the death of a decorated officer who died last week after complications from surgery stemming from a Feb. 18 on-duty car accident. Officer Forrest "Dino" Taylor, 44, of Annapolis, died Aug. 29 after undergoing the latest in a series of medical procedures. He had been injured in a crash at a stoplight in Mount Vernon while responding to a call. "Each and every day Officer Forrest 'Dino' Taylor and his fellow officers place their lives on the line to make our neighborhoods safer," Police Commissioner-designee Anthony W. Batts said in a statement.

A lot of people are opposed to allowing illegal immigrants the ability to obtain a driver's license, and I do understand their point of view, but I'd like to point out the benefits of illegal immigrants having a license: •In case of a car accident, the illegal immigrant will have the ability to present his license to verify his identity and to provide it to both the police, if needed or requested, and those involved in the accident. Would you rather have him give you a fake name?

Two people were killed and others were injured in a car accident at the Curtis Creek drawbridge that closed all lanes of eastbound Interstate 695 in Baltimore late Sunday night, according to the Baltimore Fire Department. Rescue personnel were dispatched to the outer loop bridge at 10:01 p.m. and found at least five victims, a dispatcher said. A Maryland Transportation Authority Police spokesman said 21-year-old Victoria DeAngelo of Dundalk entered the outer loop of 695 near exit 1 driving in the wrong direction Sunday night around 10. She then crashed into an SUV. DeAngelo and a 3-year-old in the SUV, Lily Kelley, died.

In the nearly nine years since graduating from Centennial High School, Matthew Lennon and a group of boyhood friends from Ellicott City often gathered for impromptu reunions. The last get-together came two weeks ago, when Lennon flew up from Florida to visit his family. With three other friends, he spent the evening at Nottingham's, a favorite nightclub hangout in Columbia. "It was pretty serendipitous," recalled Mani Kahn, who had come from New York City the same weekend to see his family.

Michele Lorenz, a 42-year-old Columbia woman, died in a car accident in Columbia on Monday night after her truck collided with a tree, according to Howard County police. Police responded to the 5600 block of High Tor Hill about 9:30 p.m. for a report that a truck had crashed, police said. Police said based on an initial investigation, they believe the woman was alone, driving a 1999 Dodge Dakota south on the road when the truck left the roadway and struck the tree. Police believe speed and failure to drive within a single lane contributed to the crash.

The "What part of illegal don't you understand?" crowd is so busy hating they can't think straight. The letter writer who claims to have witnessed "illegals" in accidents seems most concerned that they didn't have insurance ("Licenses for illegal immigrants? That's crazy," March 18). It's a legitimate concern, but the solution is to grant driver's licenses to anyone who can afford the insurance. I'm not sure how she would be privy to insurance information on the scene of the accident.

Howard County police have identified the driver who died in an Ellicott City car accident Thursday as Nikolay Aviles Rauner, 20, of Ellicott City. The passenger in the car with Rauner, identified as Cameron Hooker Lynch, 19, of Columbia, is in critical but stable condition. A man and woman in a second car involved in the accident were not injured. Police were first called to the 4300 block of Folly Quarter Road in western Ellicott City about 2 p.m. for an accident involving a 1991 Ford Taurus and a 1994 Ford Mustang.

A 42-year-old woman was killed in a fatal car accident in Columbia on Monday night after her truck collided with a tree, according to Howard County police. Police responded to the 5600 block of High Tor Hill about 9:30 p.m. for a report that a truck had crashed, police said. Police said based on an initial investigation, they believe the woman was alone, driving a 1999 Dodge Dakota south on the road when the truck left the roadway for an unknown reason and struck the tree. She was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

As of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, traffic was slow on Route 29 near River's Edge Road in Howard County, due to an accident. An accident was slowing traffic on Route 295 near Route 197 in Anne Arundel County. Route 1 northbound was closed near Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, due to a fatal car accident. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted. There are no major delays reported on area transit systems.

Two men were shot Monday morning just off Pennsylvania Avenue, one of whom died Monday evening at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police were called to the 600 block of Pitcher St. at about 11:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting, and found a 24-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head in the 1500 block of Shields Place, in the Upton Courts complex, according to Sgt. Eric Kowalczyk, a spokesman.  The man, who police identified Tuesday...