Box 10-3. At 14:11 hours, Rescue Squad 8 was dispatched to assist Station 10 (New Windsor) units for an MVC with entrapment and one vehicle on fire. Paramedic 89 was added soon after with multiple reports of a very serious crash with multiple vehicles and patients. With additional reports of the serious crash and updated locations of the incident, Station 3 (Westminster) fire and EMS units were dispatched as well.
Moments later, Captain 8 (Marble) arrived on location reporting one car fully involved and another off the road with entrapment. He also advised that old Engine 61 (Pleasant Valley) was on location, however, since it was out of service, the unit had no equipment or water on-board. Chief 3-1 (Haddad) arrived about a minute later and assumed "Route 31 Command" since the incident was determined to be within Westminster's first due area. Chief 10-1 (Moser) arrived on the west side of the incident and after quickly assessing the vehicle in the ditch, advised Command that there were 2 fatalities in the vehicle. As he did a more thorough investigation, he determined that there were 3 victims fatally injured in the one vehicle.
As additional units arrived, a handline was deployed and the fire in the second vehicle was extinguished. It was then verified that the occupant in the second vehicle was also a fatality. The Carroll County Sheriff's Office was on-scene and quickly determined that all fire, EMS, rescue personnel and equipment needed to be pulled back from the scene so that the police crash reconstruction team and the medical examiner could begin their investigation.
At about 17:30 hours, crews began assisting the medical examiner with removal of the victims from the vehicles. Rescue Squad 8 then remained on the scene to assist the CCSO with scene lighting, while all other units cleared the scene.
This tragic incident took the lives of 4 people. The Officers and members of the Union Bridge Fire Company extend our deepest sympathy's to the families and friends of all of the victims.
Units:
RS8, PM89, Captain 8 (Union Bridge); E101, E102, PM109, Ut10, Ut10-1, Chief 10-1 (New Windsor); E31, PM37, Chief 3-1 (Westminster); FM44 (Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office); Carroll County Sheriff's Office; State Highway Administration
