GARRETT COUNTY, Md. — Maryland State Police have identified the 19-year-old victim of a fatal crash on Saturday evening in Garrett County as Hihaal Babu Grandhi, 19, of Ashburn, Virginia.
May 10 at 7:10 p.m., troopers responded to a two-vehicle crash on eastbound I-68 at mile marker 13.
The investigation shows an eastbound car driven by George Nikhil Painumkal, 19, of Waterford, Virginia, rear-ended an eastbound tractor-trailer. Grandhi was a front seat passenger of the car and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Painumkal and another passenger, Aneesh Nagireddi, 18, of Ashburn, Virginia, were transported to J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital for treatment. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Eric Rowe, 70, of Ontario, Canada, was not injured.
The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is conducting a post-crash inspection of the tractor-trailer.
The Maryland State Police Crash Team is leading the ongoing investigation. Investigators do not suspect alcohol was a contributing factor. Charges are pending the outcome of the investigation and consultation with the Office of the State’s Attorney in Garrett County.