Two men were killed early Saturday morning after a wrong-way driver collided head-on with another vehicle on Interstate 95 in Howard County, Maryland. The victims were identified as Taleb Ait Zakariae, 37, of Rosedale, and Timothy Summerville Jr., 47, of Baltimore. Both men died at the scene, according to Maryland State Police.
The deadly collision happened shortly before 4:30 a.m. on November 7, near mile marker 44 on northbound I-95 in Elkridge. Authorities said the crash involved a 2025 Jeep Gladiator and a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. What should have been an ordinary early-morning drive ended in tragedy for both motorists.
Investigators said Ait Zakariae was behind the wheel of the Jeep Gladiator and was traveling southbound in the left lane of the northbound highway. Summerville was driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee in the same lane, heading in the correct northbound direction when the two vehicles collided.
The impact proved fatal for both drivers. Emergency responders arrived at the scene, but neither man survived. Police also confirmed that neither vehicle was carrying any passengers, meaning the two men were the only occupants involved in the deadly collision.
For the families of Ait Zakariae and Summerville, the loss goes far beyond the details of a police investigation. Two men who left home that morning never made it back. Their deaths have left loved ones facing the painful reality of losing people whose lives were part of their everyday world.
Authorities are also examining whether alcohol and speed played a role in the collision. Maryland State Police have identified both as possible contributing factors, although investigators have not publicly established which driver, if either, was affected by alcohol or excessive speed.
The crash forced authorities to close all northbound lanes of I-95, along with the left lane of the southbound highway, while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene. Officers from the Howard County Police Department assisted, while the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration helped manage traffic restrictions. The affected lanes reopened at approximately 10:30 a.m.
The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the investigation. Officials have not announced a final determination of what caused the collision, and the investigation remains ongoing.
As their families and friends begin to cope with the loss, the names of Taleb Ait Zakariae and Timothy Summerville Jr. remain at the center of this heartbreaking highway tragedy. Both men lost their lives in the same collision, leaving behind loved ones who must now face life without them.