A crash on westbound I-70 in Frederick County turned into a water rescue that left three people injured Wednesday morning.
Maryland State Police said Douglas L. Sexton Jr., 58, of Sparrows Point, Md. was driving westbound on I-70 in a tractor trailer loaded with asphalt just before 5 a.m. when he collided with Charles H. Williams, 53, of Baltimore, Md., who was driving a dump truck loaded with concrete.
Witnesses told troopers the dump truck was traveling westbound at a very slow speed with no lights on. The tractor trailer hit the rear of the dump truck on the bridge over the Monocacy River on I-70, then hit a concrete wall, jackknifed and caught on fire. The dump truck overturned, spilling most of its load.
Shortly after the crash, Angela M. Weir, 47, a nurse at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, saw the crash and stopped to assist. Weir and her husband were traveling eastbound on I-70 when they witnessed the crash. She ran over to the scene to provide emergency care, however she wasn’t aware that there was no median between the east and westbound lanes on the bridge.
Weir jumped over the bridge wall to get to the crash scene and fell more than 75 feet into the Monocacy River.
Her husband called 911 and a trooper pulled her from the water onto the shore. She was taken to Shock Trauma by helicopter.
The driver of the dump truck was also taken to Shock Trauma by helicopter. The tractor trailer driver was taken by ambulance to Meritus Hospital for treatment.
Investigators are looking into the cause of the crash. Charges are pending, according to police.
Due to the debris on the road, I-70 was closed in both directions for an extended period Wednesday morning. Temporary jersey walls were put in place on the bridge by the State Highway Administration.
UPDATE - Fred. Co- EB I-70-all lanes open; WB I-70 is closed. Heavy duty tow trucks on scene. Could be closed for up to another two hours.
— MD State Highway Adm (@MDSHA) August 3, 2016
I-70 crash turned into a water rescue -- 2nd medevac just left scene over Monocacy River #Frederick @ABC2News #GMM2 pic.twitter.com/fFn63jVx26
— ABC2 Traffic (@MarylandTraffic) August 3, 2016
MSP tells @LaurenCookABC2 that a witness that stopped @ I-70 crash was thrown into Monocacy River.Person rescued,flown 2 hospital #Frederick
— ABC2 Traffic (@MarylandTraffic) August 3, 2016
I-70 remains shut down @ Monocacy River as MSP investigates serious crash that turned into a water rescue #Frederick pic.twitter.com/I0yTFjnEk3
— ABC2 Traffic (@MarylandTraffic) August 3, 2016
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