From Maryland State Police:
A driver who left the scene after striking a trooper conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on the side of the road this morning has been arrested.
The accused is identified as Lawrence Barnes, 68, of Joppa, Maryland. Barnes was operating a black GMC Sierra pickup truck at the time of the incident. Barnes has been charged with failure to remain at the scene of an injury crash. After his arrest, he was transported to the Bel Air Barrack for processing.
Shortly after 9:00 a.m. this morning, a Maryland state trooper assigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division was conducting a commercial vehicle inspection on the side of the road on southbound Route 152/Mountain Road, south of I-95 in Joppa. The trooper was standing on the shoulder on the driver’s side of the commercial vehicle when she was struck by a pickup truck. The driver failed to stop at the scene and continued traveling southbound on Mountain Road.
The trooper who was struck was flown by medevac to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. She is currently being treated for injuries sustained in the crash.
A trooper assisting with the commercial vehicle inspection witnessed the incident and located the GMC Sierra pickup truck in between Route 7 and Route 40, approximately one-half mile away from the scene. He subsequently conducted a traffic stop and placed the driver under arrest for fleeing the scene of an injury crash.
The case remains under investigation.
Having visited the scene…it is incredibly dangerous. It is a favored spot amongst inspectors. It is a construction zone. The question is….could have not a safe place to do an inspection been chosen? This not only puts county property in danger but places civilians being inspected in a dangerous position. There is no reason for this risk to be forced upon the public. That location was a poor choice, a dangerous choice….and now someone is hurt.