The National Transportation Safety Board concluded in a report released this week that two drivers speeding — and one of them changing lanes in an unsafe manner — ultimately caused a crash on the Baltimore Beltway that killed six highway workers last year.

The final report, while not revealing much more about the March 22, 2023, crash, comes as one of the motorists prepares for trial on criminal manslaughter charges. It was publicly released just days after a civil lawsuit was filed against Maryland officials and the construction company they hired, alleging unsafe conditions at the Woodlawn work zone deserved some blame for the crash.

Mike Belsky, an attorney representing the estate of a slain construction inspector in the civil case, said Thursday that the final report “supports the fundamental notion that the only reason” an errant SUV was able to enter the work zone and kill six people that day was a 50-yard opening in concrete barriers meant to protect them.

The federal board’s final report says that while the vehicle had passed through the large gap in the concrete barriers, the “key factor” that decided how far the Acura went into the work zone was the unsafe speed of the vehicle operated by Lisa Lea, now 56. The Acura’s loss of control “was initiated by the driver’s unsafe high-speed lane change across three lanes” and collision with a Volkswagen operated by Melachi Brown.

It also says a truck with a crash attenuator was not positioned to block the gap, though that truck not being used that day was “consistent with guidelines” for its use.

The vehicles collided when they were traveling at over 120 mph, according to the report. Footage of the crash shows Lea’s vehicle striking Brown’s while attempting to change into the left lane of Interstate 695, with Brown’s vehicle then pushing Lea’s onto its side before the Acura launched into the work zone.

The crash instantly killed Concrete General employees Rolando Ruiz; brothers Carlos Orlando Villatoro Escobar and Jose Armando Escobar; foreman Mahlon Simmons II and his son, Mahlon Simmons III; and KCI Technologies inspector Sybil Lee DiMaggio.

Lea, who is scheduled to face trial in April 2025, was severely injured in the crash. Brown, who pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to 18 months of detention, was not injured.

The transportation safety board’s report, which does not name the drivers but refers to Lea as the “Acura driver,” noted that she said she had a history of seizures and experienced one before the crash, through medical records “provided no specific evidence to corroborate this information” and it “could not be determined” if a medical condition contributed to the crash.

Lea’s blood tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, and she also used cyclobenzaprine, a prescription muscle relaxer, the report says. But the report notes that it was unclear if she was impaired by cannabis at the time, and investigators couldn’t determine if the substances’ effects had anything to do with the crash, concluding that it was “generally plausible” that either drug could impair her perception, judgment or reactions.

The report says that changes implemented by the Maryland State Highway Administration in the wake of the crash, including lane closures near work zones and reduced speed limits with automated enforcement, are “likely to increase safety of highway workers.”

The NTSB also noted in its report that vehicle technologies like intelligent speed assistance — which according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is aimed to help drivers follow speed limits, offering systems that provide alerts or actively control speed — could have prevented the loss of control that led to the crash or reduced its severity.

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