Amelia Hobart was a 19-year-old nursing student at Towson University when she got into the rear seat of a car being driving by someone believed to have been drinking.
The car she was in collided with another car also being driven by someone believed to be under the influence of alcohol.
One day after celebrating Thanksgiving with her family, Hobart was trapped in a burning car. She died in the crash at 4:30 a.m. in a southbound lane of I270 in Bethesda. Four others were injured in the crash.
A grand jury in Montgomery County indicted a Beltsville man on charges stemming from the crash. He was one of the drivers. There is a warrant out for his arrest, but he has not yet been apprehended.
On Thursday, her parents and stepparents joined a news conference to warn families and young people of the dangers of driving under the influence. Their message stressed that now – during prom and graduation seasons – is a very deadly time for young people.
Through tears, Michele Mirowicz Hobart, Amelia’s stepmother, recalled Amelia baking, making Hollandaise sauce and dancing to “inappropriate music.”
A failed loaf of bread Amelia made for Thanksgiving remains in the family’s freezer.
“All we have left of her now” are photographs and memories. “We never got to say goodbye,” she said as other members of Amelia’s family stood nearby.
Mirowicz Hobart urged young people, “We are begging you. Please don’t drive if you are impaired.”
Her 15-year-old daughter, Zosia Mirowicz, struggled to tell MCM how much she hurt. “It’s like a piece of you is missing. She was always there for me.”
When asked how she is coping, the Poolesville High student said, “There’s nothing really.”
In the United States, traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. Most deaths of teenagers involved in traffic accidents occur between May and August, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Prom should be remembered for its joy, celebration, not for a crash, an arrest” or death, said MADD Mid-Atlantic Region Executive Director Bryna Clark-Braverman at the news conference at Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters.
The press event was led by Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP) President Karl Erickson.
“Talk to your teens,” Erickson said. “Have a plan in place if your child does decide to drink.” Use rideshares or a designated driver, he suggested.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy urged young people “to send a message of love and care for each other. Look out for each other.”
