Passenger Dies After Ijamsville Culvert Crash

Incident Information

An early-morning single-vehicle crash in Frederick County left an 18-year-old passenger dead and the teenage driver injured.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and Division of Fire and Rescue Services responded at approximately 2:52 a.m. on July 21, 2026, to the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville.

Investigators said a 19-year-old Frederick man was driving a 1995 Honda Accord along the two-lane road with two passengers. The Accord drifted off the right side of the roadway and struck a culvert.

One passenger, identified as 18-year-old Kaylee Hottle, was seriously injured. Emergency crews transported her from the crash scene to a nearby trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.

The driver suffered injuries that authorities did not consider life-threatening. The other passenger declined medical treatment at the scene.

The sheriff’s office said excessive speed was believed to have contributed to the collision. The investigation remained active, and officials had not announced whether the driver would face charges.

Hottle was a resident of Kyle, Texas, and a student at the Texas School for the Deaf. She was known for playing Jia in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”

Her identity led to widespread coverage of the crash, but investigators emphasized that the collision was being examined as a traffic fatality. Crash investigators were expected to review the Accord’s damage, roadway evidence and the path the vehicle followed before hitting the culvert.

No other vehicles were reported to have been involved.

Hottle’s school expressed sympathy to her family, friends and classmates while asking the public to respect the family’s privacy and avoid speculation.

The crash remains under investigation by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.

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