ANNAPOLIS, MD — A highway worker was injured early Wednesday after a car entered an active work zone on northbound Interstate 97 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland State Police said. Troopers were called to the area near Route 32 at 12:45 a.m. after reports of a pedestrian-involved crash.
When officers arrived, they found that a 31-year-old man working on the highway had been struck by a vehicle. He was taken by ground ambulance to a local trauma center for treatment. Police said no other injuries were reported.
Troopers say a lane-closure slowdown led to the impact
According to Maryland State Police, a trooper was already nearby in a patrol car with emergency lights activated and was able to respond quickly. Investigators say the crash unfolded as two vehicles approached the work scene in the northbound lanes.
Police identified the vehicles as a Toyota Camry driven by 47-year-old Javed Iqbal of Baltimore and a Mercedes Model S driven by 62-year-old Darrell Lamont Gough of Elkridge. Troopers believe Iqbal slowed down as he approached a lane closure, then was rear-ended by Gough’s Mercedes.
Mercedes veered into the work area and hit the worker
State police said the Mercedes then left the travel lane and went into the active work zone, where it struck the highway worker and a portable light tower. The crash happened in a marked work area, underscoring how quickly a collision between vehicles can create danger for people on foot nearby.
Police have not said how fast either vehicle was traveling or whether the worker was in a specific part of the zone when he was hit. The exact sequence remains under investigation by state authorities.
Impairment is being considered as a possible factor
The cause of the crash has not been determined, but Maryland State Police said impairment may have been a factor. Troopers did not immediately release any additional details about what led them to consider that possibility.
No charges or citations were mentioned in the initial police statement. Investigators have not said whether the drivers remained at the scene, and officials have not released information about the worker’s current condition beyond his transport to a trauma center.
Maryland State Police Crash Team takes over the case
The Maryland State Police Crash Team has assumed the investigation. That unit typically handles serious collisions and works to reconstruct how a crash happened, including the actions of the drivers involved and the conditions at the scene.
In this case, investigators will be looking at the lane closure, the position of the vehicles and the role of the work zone itself. Police have not said when they expect to release additional findings.
Work zone collisions remain especially dangerous for roadside crews
The crash adds another reminder of the risks highway workers face when traffic passes close to active maintenance sites. Even when warning lights and lane closures are in place, crews can be vulnerable if drivers do not slow down in time or if one collision sends a second vehicle off course.
In this incident, a nearby trooper with activated emergency lights was already present, yet the worker was still hit during the chain of events that followed the rear-end crash. State police have not identified any broader traffic impact on I-97, and the investigation remains active.
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