Woman charged in deadly I-695 work zone crash to request trial postponement

Lisa Lea, the woman accused of crashing into and killing six construction workers on I-695 in March 2023, will be in court on Thursday, March 13, as her attorneys request a postponement for April's trial.

Police said Lea and Melachi Brown were traveling more than 100 mph when they collided, lost control and crashed into the work zone.  A video obtained by WJZ shows the two cars crashing at a high rate of speed.

Lea was indicted on six counts of manslaughter, six counts of negligent homicide, six counts of "causing the death of a vulnerable individual while operating a motor vehicle" and other charges.  

Maryland State Police identified the six contractual workers who were killed as Rolando Ruiz, 46, of Laurel; Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar, 43, of Frederick; Jose Armando Escobar, 52, of Frederick; Mahlon Simmons III, 31, of Union Bridge; Mahlon Simmons II, 52, of Union Bridge; and Sybil Lee Dimaggio, 46, of Glen Burnie.   

The NTSB investigation reveals that Lea tried to change across three lanes at a high speed and clipped Brown's car before crashing into the road workers.  

Lea also had a "measured concentration of delta-9 THC in her blood," according to the report, and used the medication cyclobenzaprine which may have had some potential to impair her driving ability.

Brown pleaded guilty and is serving a home detention sentence after being let out of prison early.

Family sues contractor over safety issues

The family of one of six construction workers killed in the I-695 work zone crash sued a contracting company and the state of Maryland for failing to create a safe construction zone.  

The family of Sybil DiMaggio said Concrete General Inc., and the state, "failed on every level." DiMaggio didn't work for Concrete General, but the other construction workers did.

The complaint claimed Concrete General developed what's called a "Transportation Management Plan" to ensure safety, but failed to implement it.

The gap was also pointed to in the NTSB Factual Report on the crash, which said a truck-mounted attenuator should have been in place to block it.

Citing state policies, the complaint said these attenuators are "highly recommended or required on a highway where the speed limit is 55 mph in a long-term stationary work zone where workers are fully exposed."

The complaint claims nothing was done about the "extremely high number of strikes" to the work zone by drivers. A sign warning drivers of a closed shoulder also wasn't reinstalled by the time of the crash.

Investigators say protocols were met

Investigators said the work zone configuration met applicable state and federal standards and the Maryland State Highway Administration and the contractor conducted daily inspections, which showed no discernible safety issues. 

The report revealed the workers were trained appropriately, while ongoing safety reviews were part of the project process.

NTSB's investigation shows that a concrete barrier system prevented Brown's car from entering the work zone during the initial portion of the collision sequence. 

And, while there was an opening in the concrete barriers that allowed Lea's car to enter the work zone after losing control, her excessive speed was the key factor in determining how far the vehicle traveled into the work zone as it overturned, resulting in the workers' deaths.

Call for safety changes

Since the crash, the Maryland State Highway Administration planned several changes to the work zone, including closing the adjacent lane when work is taking place and blocking the work zone opening with a protection vehicle. 

In response to the crash, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called for the creation of the Work Zone Safety Work Group, which Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller chairs.

The workgroup helped create a new state law that gets more automated speed cameras in work zones, as well as increased the fines for drivers.