Composite Sketch of Truck Driver Released

FREDERICK, Md. - Police have released a composite sketch of a man who may be the driver of the green pickup truck involved in the fatal crash on Interstate 270 on Wednesday.

Maryland State Police say a witness described the driver as a white man in his 30s, with light brown hair down to the middle of his neck, wearing a dark colored baseball cap.

Police are looking for a light-green 1990s or early 2000 model Chevy Silverado standard cab truck with a diamond-pattern rear bumper.

The witness tells police that the driver was angrily pounding on the steering wheel with both hands. The witness also described something hanging from the truck's interior rearview mirror.

The family of Lindsay L. Bender is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides information about the driver who was involved in the accident that killed Bender, 25, and her boyfriend, 28-year-old Christian M. Luciano.

Witnesses told police that Luciano and Bender, traveling in a 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible, exchanged obscene gestures with the driver of the green pickup as the vehicles sped south near Frederick around 8 a.m. on April 11.

The truck swerved into the left lane in front of the Sebring and with the Sebring on its tail, the driver of the truck braked, causing Luciano to swerve right and lose control. The car crossed the right lane and hit the guardrail, Newell says.

The car went airborne, flipped over the guardrail, and struck several trees. Police say Luciano and Bender were ejected onto the grassy area beyond the roadway.

Police now say Luciano was driving with a suspended license.

Neither victim was wearing a seat belt and both were pronounced dead at the scene, Maryland State Police spokesman First Sgt. Russ Newell says.

The Harrisburg, Pa. couple were on their way to spend a few days at the Bender family beach house in North Carolina.

Troopers have been fielding calls from motorists who were in the area, but none has provided specific information which has lead to the identity of the driver.

State Highway Administration officials are using variable message boards in the area of the crash to request information from anyone who may have witnessed the accident.

Anyone who may have witnessed the accident should call Maryland State Police, Frederick Barracks at 301-644-4151.

On Thursday, troopers found the couples' Rottweiler, Roxie, walking near crash site.

Troopers say the dog had been in the car at the time of the crash. Roxie was not hurt in the accident.

Bender's father, Charles, says he spoke to his daughter just minutes before the crash and said they were excited to be getting away.

He says he can't understand why they died because of "something so stupid." He says he has no hate for the other driver involved, only sorrow.

The accident closed southbound I-270 at Maryland 85 for about four hours Wednesday.

Meanwhile, AAA Mid-Atlantic is out with a survey of what drivers in the Washington area fear the most. Aggressive drivers and road rage topped the list.

"Thirty eight percent of all motorists said they feared aggressive drivers and road rage more more than any other thing on the road, including distracted driving, surprisingly, drunk drivers, traffic conditions and even large trucks," says John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic's manager for public and government affairs.

Townsend says 29 percent feared distracted drivers, 13 percent feared drunk drivers and 11 percent feared traffic or road conditions.

Eight of 10 people surveyed supported tougher penalties for repeat aggressive drivers.

Would traffic cameras help combat aggressive drivers? Sixty six percent told AAA they would.

When AAA asked why do people in the Washington metro area become aggressive drivers, 61 percent blamed frustration with traffic congestion, not bad driving.

"You have to learn to control your frustrations. Frustrations can lead to a fatal crash or an incident that can change the lives of many people," Townsend tells WTOP.

(Copyright 2007 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)