Cops ID Young Woman Killed In Southern Maryland Crash

A death investigation has been launched after a 19-year-old woman was killed in a fatal crash in St. Mary's County that left her friends and family reeling.

Cobb Island resident Autumn Leighanne Compton has been identified as the victim who was killed in a crash in Mechanicsville over the weekend after striking a truck being driven by 24-year-old North Beach native Zachary Joseph WIlburn, according to the sheriff's office.

Deputies from the St. Mary's County Sheriff's office said that the initial investigation into the crash determined that Compton's Honda attempted to make a left-hand turn from Mechanicsville Road onto southbound Budds Creek Road, where she failed to yield the right of way to Wilburn's Chevy, which was heading north on the roadway.

Compton was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in Wilburn's pick-up truck was also taken by paramedics to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital for treatment of what were described as minor injuries.

According to investigators, speed does not appear to be a factor in the fatal crash, which remains under investigation by the sheriff's office's Crash Reconstruction Unit.

Compton's death has left her family stunned and a community shocked.

I’ll never understand. My whole entire heart has been ripped from chest. My sweet girl passed away in a car accident...

Posted by Aimee Compton on Sunday, April 28, 2024

Anyone with details about the crash or events leading up to it has been asked to contact Cpl. Rachael Roszell at the agency by calling (301) 475-4200 ext. 8108.

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