St. Mary's Co. Fatal Collision in Mechanicsville Under Investigation

newsBot · Nov 18, 2020

On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020 at 1:33 pm, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Deputies were dispatched to a motor vehicle crash at North Sandgates Road near the intersection of Cavalier Street. Deputies arrived on the scene where a single vehicle drove off the roadway and into a wooded ravine. The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Collision Reconstruction Unit responded to the scene.

Preliminary investigation determined the 2012 Jeep Compass, operated by Douglas Calvin Benfield, 69 of Mechanicsville, was traveling northbound on North Sandgates Road toward Route 235 when for unknown reasons the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into a ravine. Benfield was declared as deceased at the scene by emergency first responders.

At this time, speed and alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors in the collision.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or any events leading up to the crash is asked to call DFC Jason Smith at 301-475-4200, ext. 72328.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.