On Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 at approximately 8 am, patrol deputies from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a serious motor vehicle collision on St. Andrew’s Church Road in the area of Fairgrounds Road in Leonardtown. Deputies arrived on scene to find a head-on collision between two vehicles, with one of the drivers being transported to a trauma center for treatment. Upon arrival at the trauma center, the operator was pronounced deceased. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to the scene of the collision to continue the investigation.
Preliminary investigation determined that a 2010 Toyota Rav4, operated by Alex Jacob Rhoten, age 28 of Lusby, was traveling northbound on St. Andrew’s Church Road. Rhoten’s vehicle crossed the highway’s center line and struck a 1998 Nissan Altima, operated by Jason Lionel Fenwick, age 56 of Lexington Park, which was traveling southbound on St. Andrew’s Church Road. A third vehicle, a 2017 Toyota Camry, operated by Jennifer Yang, age 31 of California, was damaged by debris from the Rav4 and Altima collision.
Fenwick was transported to an area trauma center by helicopter and succumbed to his injuries sustained in the collision. Both Rhoten and Yang refused medical treatment at the scene.
At this time, operator error appears to be a contributing factor in the collision.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or any events leading up to it is asked to contact Cpl. Jason Smith at 301-475-4200, ext. 2328 or email jason.smith@stmarysmd.com.
