After a driver made more room for someone mowing grass, his vehicle collided with one driven by a pregnant woman, police said. The crash led to an emergency Caesarian section surgery, and one of her newborn twins did not survive.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and Hagerstown Police Department were called to the scene just after 12:30 p.m. April 30 in the 17300 block of Lamar Road in Hagerstown.
At that time, a 2008 Ford Escort driven by Shibu Thannikkunnath, 44, of Indianapolis was traveling east on Lamar Road.
Thannikkunnath’s vehicle was left of center prior to a hillcrest after moving over for a homeowner cutting the grass alongside the roadway, according to Sheriff Randy Retter.
A 2015 Ford Explorer driven by Cheyanne Garringer, 24, of Hagerstown, was westbound on Lamar Road and crested the hill moments before the collision.
The two vehicles collided head-on, causing serious injuries to Garringer, who was 9 months pregnant with twins, Retter said
Garringer was transported by Reid Health EMS to Reid Health in Richmond, where she received an emergency Caesarian section to deliver the babies, as well as treatment for other injuries.
Tragically, Retter said, one of the newborns did not survive.
Thannikkunnath also was transported to Reid Health by Reid EMS for injuries he sustained in the crash. Conditions on all involved were not available as of press time.
Retter said an investigation into the crash is continuing.
Additional assistance came from Wayne County Emergency Communications, Hagerstown Fire Department, Richmond Fire Department Drone Team and Road One Towing.