Price, MD — July 24, 2025, Valerie Haines and Patricia Mead were killed in a utility truck accident at about 12:30 p.m. on U.S. Route 301.

Authorities said a southbound utility truck crashed into a Toyota Camry that was crossing the highway on Price Station Road.

Toyota driver Valerie Haines, 63, and passenger Patricia Mead, 86, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver was not hurt, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Queen Anne's County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary

When people read about a crash like the one that happened at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Price Station Road, they often assume the cause is clear: one vehicle didn’t yield, the other had the right of way, and that’s the end of it. But as someone who’s handled many similar truck accident cases, I can say with confidence that getting to the truth is rarely that simple.

The biggest unanswered question right now is: What exactly was happening when the utility truck struck the Toyota Camry? Authorities say the Camry was crossing the highway and the utility truck was headed southbound. But that leaves a lot of room for critical details that could change how we understand this crash. Was the Camry stopped at a stop sign or rolling through? Was the truck speeding, distracted or otherwise impaired? We don’t yet know.

Getting those answers starts with evidence; specifically, the kind of evidence that isn’t visible from the crash scene alone. For example, does the utility truck have a dash cam or in-cab camera? If so, those recordings could show whether the driver was paying attention or how much time he had to react. Engine control module (ECM) data can tell us how fast the truck was going, whether the brakes were applied and what steering inputs were made in the seconds leading up to the crash.

Cell phone records are another piece of the puzzle. Was the truck driver talking or texting at the time? It may sound like a small thing, but I’ve had cases where that single fact turned out to be the key to the whole case.

That kind of deep dive isn’t about finger-pointing; it’s about making sure the right people are held responsible. And that doesn’t happen unless someone is willing to ask hard questions and demand real answers.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear why the utility truck hit the Camry; key facts about both vehicles’ movements remain unknown.
• Critical evidence includes dash cam footage, ECM data and the driver’s phone and personnel records.
• Depending on the findings, responsibility could lie with the driver, the company or both.
• A proper investigation should look beyond surface-level facts to uncover deeper issues in training, hiring or driver conduct.
• Accountability isn’t automatic. It depends on evidence, not assumptions.