ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The Howard County police officer that was injured after his patrol vehicle was struck Thursday has been released from the hospital.
Police Officer First Class Michael Marino, a 13-year veteran who's assigned to patrol in the Ellicott City area, was transported to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center following the collision and released Thursday night.
RELATED: Officer taken to Shock Trauma after patrol car gets rear-ended during investigation
On Thursday, at around 11:30 a.m., PFC Marino responded to the ramp from Route 100 westbound to Route 29 northbound to investigate a minor property damage collision. He was in the driver's seat of his patrol car, with his emergency lights on, and stopped in the right lane to divert traffic when his vehicle was hit from behind by a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser.
The driver and sole occupant of the PT Cruiser, 24-year-old Bianca Taylor, of Rosedale, was taken to St. Agnes Hospital. She was released after being treated for minor injuries. Through the preliminary investigation, police believe that Taylor was at-fault.
However, this investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.
Police are reminding drivers of Maryland's Move Over law. The Move Over law requires drivers approaching a stopped emergency or service vehicle with red, yellow or amber flashing lights to, when possible, move over a lane or slow to a reasonable speed that is safe for existing conditions while passing. Failure to move over can result in a fine of $110 and one point against the driver's license. However, if the violation contributes to a crash, the fine is $150 and three points against the driver's license.
