New dispatch audio from the early morning hours of July 21 has revealed details surrounding the fatal car crash in Maryland that claimed the life of actress Kaylee Hottle. First responders arriving at the scene requested assistance locating someone who knew sign language or had access to an interpreter app to communicate with the deaf "Godzilla vs. Kong" star.
According to dispatch audio obtained by Page Six, Hottle was "unconscious" when emergency personnel responded to the crash. Officials noted that Hottle was visiting the area and the friend she was with did not have immediate contact information for her family. At one point in the audio, a dispatcher stated, "If anybody has access to the interpreter app on the phones, can you please start this way? Because we need a sign language interpreter."
The audio also highlighted the severity of the collision. First responders described "heavy front-end damage" and noted that the vehicle had traveled approximately 10 feet off the roadway before coming to rest in a culvert. Emergency personnel also requested medics return to evaluate a second individual at the scene who was complaining of rib pain.
Later, dispatchers confirmed they had spoken with Hottle's father, Joshua Hottle, by phone. He shared the news of his daughter's death with TMZ, explaining he was informed about the crash while in Texas. In an ASL video posted on Facebook, Joshua Hottle, who is also deaf, stated that he learned his daughter's heart stopped en route to the hospital and that he was traveling to Maryland to claim her body. He captioned the post, "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take."
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office issued a press release stating that deputies and fire and rescue personnel responded to a fatal single-vehicle crash in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland, around 2:52 a.m. on July 21. A preliminary investigation indicated that a 1995 Honda Accord, driven by a 19-year-old Frederick man, veered off the right side of the two-lane road and struck a culvert. Excessive speed is believed to have been a contributing factor.
The driver was transported to a local hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. Another passenger at the scene declined medical treatment. Kaylee Hottle was taken to a nearby trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead. The Frederick County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit is continuing to investigate the crash.