Family of five killed in early-morning collision in Maryland

Five family members, including a 7-year-old, an infant and a pregnant woman, were killed early Saturday when their car collided with a tractor-trailer in Queen Anne’s County, Md.

The Ayres family had left Greenbush, Va., on Friday night to visit family members in Baltimore, according to a statement from the Maryland State Police. They were headed northwest on Route 50 around 1 a.m. when their car collided with a tractor-trailer going southbound on the intersecting Route 213 in Wye Mills.

The truck hit the 2006 Suzuki Forenza on the passenger side. The tractor-trailer apparently rolled over the car before coming to a rest, according to the statement.

Four of the family members were pronounced dead at the scene: Regina Ayres, 24; her daughter, Jordan Ayres, 7; Ayers’ boyfriend, Travis Straton, 25; and their 2-month-old son, Jonathan Ayres. Regina Ayres’ sister, Zerissa Ayres, 30, was taken to a hospital where she and her unborn child were pronounced dead.

The driver of the truck, Yvenet Mayette, 28, was on his way to his residence in Delaware at the time of the accident, police said. He was airlifted to a hospital where he is being treated for his injuries. No charges have been filed.

Mayette’s truck was loaded with 44,000 pounds of polyfiber he had picked up Friday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C.

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