Trial postponed for Maryland woman charged in 2023 deadly work zone crash on I-695
A Maryland woman who was accused of crashing into and killing six construction workers on I-695 will have her trial postponed until November, according to court officials.
In March 2023, Lisa Lea was traveling over 100 mph when she collided with another driver, lost control and crashed into a work zone. A video of the incident shows the two cars flying into the work zone.
Lea was charged with manslaughter, negligent homicide, causing the death of a person while driving and other related charges.
Her trial was initially scheduled to begin in April, however, Lea's attorneys requested a postponement. On Thursday, that request was granted.
Lea is now scheduled to appear in court on November 3.
NTSB investigates crash
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that Lea had attempted to move across three lanes at a high speed when she clipped Malachi Brown's car and crashed.
According to the final report, Lea had delta-9 THC in her blood and used a medication that may have impaired her ability to drive.
In an initial report, NTSB said Lea had a history of seizures and did not take her medication before the crash, but the final report said medical records did not confirm that information.
The report also detailed that the circumstances of the crash were not indicative of a sudden medical event and stated it was not possible to attribute her actions or decision-making to a medical condition.
Brown was also charged for the crash. He pled guilty and is serving home detention after being released early from prison.
Crash prompts safety changes
Following the crash in 2023, Gov. Wes Moore created a Work Zone Safety Work Group which is led by Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller.
The group has helped to create new state laws that increased the number of automated speed cameras in work zones and increased fines for drivers.
The fine for speeding in work zones was raised from $40 to $80 in July 2024.
Victim's family sues contracting company and state
In October 2024, the family of one of the six construction workers who was killed in the crash sued a contracting company and the state of Maryland.
The lawsuit alleged that the company, Concrete General, and the state failed to maintain a safe work zone.
According to the lawsuit, the company had developed a Transportation Mangement Plan but failed to implement it.
"The combination of its negligent acts, culminating in exposing the workers to a 50-yard opening with zero protection from oncoming traffic, made this accident utterly preventable," the lawsuit said.
NTSB also highlighted the gap in its report, saying a truck-mounted attenuator should have been in place.
The lawsuit also alleged that a sign warning drivers about the shoulder being closed was not reinstalled at the time of the crash.
