Bel Air First Responder Killed Responding to Patterson Mill Road Crash: Officials

A section of Patterson Mill Road was closed Tuesday due to a crash that resulted in the death of a member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.

At 1:52 p.m., first responders were called to a crash in the 300 block of Patterson Mill Road, officials said.

A vehicle had traveled off the road into an embankment, then the driver went to a nearby residence, according to Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association spokesman Rich Gardiner.

Because of the weather and driveway conditions, the fire department determined a vehicle with four-wheel drive was the best way to access the patient, Gardiner said.

A winter weather advisory had been issued for much of the region Tuesday due to snow and hazardous travel conditions. There were several crashes on local highways Tuesday morning, and between 2.5 and 3 inches of snow fell in Bel Air by the afternoon., the National Weather Service reported.

See Also: Overturned Tractor-Trailer Among Multiple Crashes Reported Near Abingdon

Given the conditions outside, the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company dispatched a 2014 Chevy Silverado with four-wheel drive to meet the injured motorist off Patterson Mill Road, Gardiner said.

Once in the driveway, the fire company vehicle slid and struck a paramedic, who was taken in grave condition to Upper Chesapeake, where he was pronounced deceased, Gardiner said.

Related: Bel Air Paramedic Killed in Line of Duty

The individual whose vehicle went into the embankment was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to Gardiner.

The identity of the paramedic involved has not been released pending next of kin notification, Gardiner said. The man killed was a paid paramedic with the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company, according to Gardiner.

Previous report—A section of Patterson Mill Road has been closed due to a crash that the Harford County Sheriff’s Office said involved a member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.

First responders were called to a crash on Patterson Mill Road in Bel Air Tuesday afternoon.

The call came in at 1:52 p.m. that there had been a collision in the 300 block of Patterson Mill Road, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

A member of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company was involved, according to Harford County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Andersen.

The Susquehanna Hose Company reported that it was responding to the scene of the crash in Bel Air near Gillingham Drive after 3 p.m. as well, and that at least one person was injured.

With several inches of snow falling in the area, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office was called to a dozen crashes between 6 and 11 a.m. Tuesday, including several vehicles into ditches.

Roads were slippery, according to transportation officials, who advised being patient Tuesday afternoon.

“This morning’s efforts to clear the snow primarily were impacted by the volume of traffic,” State Highway Administrator Melinda B. Peters said in a statement.

“As we approach the evening commute, patient driving will be equally as important as driving to the conditions on the road,” Peters said.

Drivers should slow down, allow for extra distance between themselves and other vehicles and have their lights on, according to the State Highway Administration.