PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore has announced the tragic deaths of two students in a car crash on Wednesday night.
According to UMES President Heidi M. Anderson, Luke Jason Hawthorne, 18, of Bensalem, Pa. and Munir Loyan Morris, 18, of Capitol Heights, Md., both succumbed to their injuries sustained in a single-car accident in Snow Hill on Sept. 3. Both Anderson and Morris were science majors who only recently became students at UMES.
According to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred on Nassawango Road near Camp Road in Snow Hill just after 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Police say the investigation revealed that a 2016 pickup truck was driving south on Nassawango Road when it failed to negotiate a curve and drove off the road, hitting several trees. Police say Hathorne, the driver, died at the scene. Morris was flown to Tidal Health in Salisbury but did not survive.
The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office says UMES was notified and the school assisted with locating the victims’ families.
“This loss is heartbreaking,” UMES President Anderson said in a statement Thursday. “Luke and Munir had only just joined our Hawk family, full of hope and potential. It is painful to think of the lives they would have led, the contributions they would have made, and the friendships they would have formed within our community.”
Anderson says that Friday’s classes at UMES will be cancelled for a Day of Healing, allowing students, staff, and faculty to “reflect, mourn, and begin to process this devastating loss.”
Several counseling services would be available to UMES campus community members, according to Anderson.
-Counseling Services; 410-651-6449 (Available 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily)
-In-person support: Student Service Center, Multipurpose Room 2149 (Thursday 1-5 p.m.)
-Mental Health Electronic Referral Form
-24-Hour Crisis Line: 410-651-HELP
“In the days ahead, let us be especially mindful of one another,” Anderson said. “Show grace, offer kindness, and take care of yourselves and each other as we navigate this sorrow together.”