The trooper has been identified as Ezra N. Ganeshananda, 26. Ganeshananda is currently in critical condition, according to a State Police press release.

Ganeshananda joined the Maryland State Police 15 months ago and is assigned to road patrol at the College Park Barrack. His brother is a Maryland State trooper, the release said.

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Updated at 3:55 p.m.

The outer loop of the the Capital Beltway remains closed in Lanham after a multi-car accident sent a Maryland State Police trooper to the hospital. The lanes of the inner loop are slowly reopening after the accident, but officials said it’s still unclear how long the outer loop lanes will be closed.

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Maryland State Police said the trooper was investigating another accident when his car was struck.

The trooper was sitting in his patrol car on the shoulder of the outer loop, authorities said. A damaged vehicle was in front of the trooper and a rollback tow truck had pulled in front of that vehicle, when another crash happened nearby.

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A vehicle from that second crash struck the trooper and the patrol car on the shoulder, trapping him inside, the release said.

He was freed from the patrol car and flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, said authorities.

Updated at 3:05 p.m.

Some lanes of the inner loop of the Beltway have reopened.

A Maryland State Police trooper was seriously injured in the crash, said Mark Brady, a spokesman for Prince George’s County Fire Department. The trooper, who was trapped in a vehicle, was flown by helicopter to an area hospital for treatment.

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Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collision.

Original post at 2:50 p.m.

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A crash between three vehicles and a tow truck had the Capital Beltway in both directions Lanham, a fire department spokesman said.

The accident happened around 2 p.m. on the outer loop between Route 450 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. One person is trapped in a vehicle, said Assistant Fire Chief Alan Doubleday, of the Prince George’s County Fire Department. Both the inner and outer loops were closed so that a helicopter could land and help aid in the rescue effort, he said.