Questions Still Linger Regarding Fatal Accident on Dulles Toll Road

The circumstances surrounding the three-car accident which killed 50- year-old Marieta Rafanan Abejon on the Dulles Toll Road March 18 are still murky, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and those familiar with the situation.

Abejon was travelling to Sterling, Virginia for a religious conference with four other passengers when their car came to a stop after passing through the EZ Pass lane at about 8:15pm. A car hit them from behind, but the impact was glancing, and did not do significant damage. It was the collision from a second car that killed Abejon, and injured the rest of the passengers.

Richard J. Rudolph, 52, of Herndon, the driver of the first car, was arrested on March 19 and charged with DWI. He posted bond on March 21. His next court date is May 19, in Fairfax County General District Court, said a spokesman for the Fairfax County Jail.

 The driver of the second car has not been charged. Neither of these two cars had any passengers.

Paramedics had to extricate  Abejon from the wreckage. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the Inova Fairfax Hospital. The other passengers and the driver of the second car were also taken to Inova Fairfax. All have been released, except for one passenger, who is still in the Intensive Care Unit.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority did not make any official statement as to why Abejon’s car stopped. However, at her viewing at the Rendon/ Hale Lanham Funeral Home in Maryland on Wednesday, friends speculated that the driver of the car halted because they were unsure in which direction to go. There is an exit for Leesburg Pike immediately after the main tollbooth, which might have led to the driver’s confusion.

Abejon, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, immigrated from the Philippines to attend nursing school. After receiving her Masters degree, she became a full-time private nurse. In her spare time, she volunteered for she for The Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC)-- service-oriented organization that addresses the concerns of immigrants—giving free health screenings to the community.

The MHC has been instrumental in raising the funds needed to send Abejon’s remains to her home in the Philippines. Though the Rendon/ Hale Lanham Funeral Home was willing to cover some of the repatriation costs, friends still needed to raise $8,000. Grace Valera, Executive Director of the MHC, reported that, as of Thursday, they had achieved this goal. Many donations came from people who did not know Abejon personally, Valera said. It is a testament to the impact Abejon had on her community, said Valera.

Remembering her friend, Valera dwells on her soft-spoken, good-hearted nature. “She was very caring. She always made the extra effort to take care of her patients.” Valera also notes how Abejon would cook food for their office, as well as all visitors to her home. “She was always smiling,” Valera says.

She is survived by her husband, Bernard, her three daughters and mother in the Philippines.

A deeply religious person as well, Marieta was an active member of the El Shaddai Catholic Charismatic Group of St. Stephen in Washington D.C. and the “Jesus is Lord” (JIL) group.

She recently posted this update to her Facebook profile: “Walking with GOD is the best adventure...... Finding GOD is the best achievement and having GOD as companion is the best source of happiness..... Amen!” The post was dated March 15, three days before her death.