MDTA Worker Among 4 Injured During I-95 Crash: Police

Crash on Interstate 95 in Harford County on Thursday, Nov. 5. Photo Credit: Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

The crash on Interstate 95 that sent four people to the hospital Thursday night in Harford County involved a state worker helping to repair a disabled vehicle, Maryland State Police reported Friday.

RELATED: Multiple People Hospitalized from I-95 Crash

Before 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, a 1997 Dodge pickup truck became disabled on southbound I-95 past the exit for MD 24/Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, according to state police.

A Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Courtesy Patrol vehicle responded to help the driver make a repair near mile marker 75.5, police reported.

The driver whose truck was disabled and another motorist who had stopped to help were on the right shoulder, where the MDTA worker joined them, according to the report.

For an unknown reason, a 2004 International tractor-trailer drove off the highway and onto the shoulder of I-95 south, where it hit the back of the MDTA vehicle, police said.

In a chain reaction, the MDTA vehicle rammed the two cars in front of it on the shoulder, then police said the out-of-control vehicles hit the three pedestrians.

The tractor-trailer driver was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and the three pedestrians went to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to police.

Two medevacs were requested but due to the weather, helicopter transport was unavailable, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, which responded to the incident with the Abingdon Fire Company. Together the two fire companies had 10 emergency vehicles at the scene, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

The Harford County hazmat team was also called to help offload fuel from one of the vehicles, according to Joppa-Magnolia.

Police did not provide a cause for the crash, as the investigation is ongoing. However, the weather may have been a factor.

“The fog was very thick,” Sgt. White of the JFK Barrack told Patch on Friday.

Just after the crash Thursday night, the National Weather Service issued a dense fog advisory for much of the state, including Harford County. Effective from 8:03 p.m. on Thursday to Friday morning, the advisory said there would be limited visibility (less than a quarter mile), and drivers should slow down and use their lights.

Firefighters at the scene asked drivers to familiarize themselves with the Move Over Law, which requires motorists—when they can—to move over one lane to allow first responders, including tow truck drivers with emergency lights activated, to do their jobs.

If people cannot move one lane away from first responders, they are required by law to “slow to a reasonable and prudent speed that is safe for existing weather, road, and vehicular or pedestrian traffic conditions,” according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.

SEE ALSO: Move Over Law Has Expanded in Maryland

“We at the JMVFC can’t stress enough that when you see emergency vehicles operating on the highway, ‪‎Move Over‬ and slow down. Not only is it for our safety but it’s against the law if you don’t. We wish a speedy recovery to the MDTA worker involved in this incident,” the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company said in a statement.

After the crash at 7:30 p.m., the lanes on I-95 south were closed. The highway had completely reopened in the area at 11:45 p.m., according to Joppa-Magnolia.