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Mary Frances Walsh, of Chevy Chase, struck a tree on Montgomery Avenue near East West Highway around 6:55 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021, Montgomery County police said.
Walsh was trapped in a 2014 Audi Q5, which was up in flames and had filled with smoke when firefighters arrived.
An off-duty county police officer and good Samaritan removed Walsh from the car, while a 14-year-old passenger was able to escape. The passenger was taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.
Walsh was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries and had been receiving medical treatment since the collision occurred. In February 2022, she was admitted to an area hospital for complications stemming from her injuries. She died on Feb. 3, 2022.
According to her obituary, Walsh was born in Brookline, MA, and graduated from Yale University. She was a news producer at ABC for 30 years, where she met her husband, Leo James Meidlinger, who preceded her in death. Their son, Leo Walsh Meidlinger, was Mary's pride and joy, her obit says.
Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are now investigating this collision as a fatality.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at 240-773-6620.
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