A 25-year-old Severn man has been charged following a tragic traffic accident that claimed a life in February 2025. According to a Montgomery County Police report, Andrew Joe Machinjiri is facing charges of negligent manslaughter by vehicle among other traffic-related offenses.
The incident, which occurred on the intersection of Norbeck Road and Layhill Road in Silver Spring, involved a collision between a dump trailer and a Kia Seltos. Emergency responders from Montgomery County Police 4th District and Fire and Rescue Services arrived at the scene around 12:48 p.m. on that fateful Friday. In spite of their efforts, 28-year-old Jiwon Kim, the driver of the Kia, was sadly pronounced dead at the scene, as detailed by the Montgomery County Police.
Detailed investigation by the Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) revealed that Machinjiri, who was operating a yellow Freightliner Columbia tractor towing a black 2025 Brazos dump trailer, collided with the northbound Kia as he travelled eastbound on Norbeck Road. The force of the collision caused the dump trailer to drag the smaller vehicle several hundred feet before halting.
Following their in-depth analysis, CRU investigators determined that Machinjiri was at fault in the accident. Subsequently, he was processed at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit and released on a $1,000 bond.
