PHOTO by ELIZABETH FOULDS
St. Michaels Accident ties up traffic
Rescue workers help an injured St. Michaels firefighter after an accident Saturday afternoon that caused traffic to be re-routed through town for more than an hour.
Posted: Saturday, August 22, 2015
By CHRIS POLK cpolk@stardem.com
ST. MICHAELS — It started out as a routine accident investigation, then it became a chase, then a firefighter got hit by a patrol car.
That was the domino effect of events that unfolded beginning with a man who allegedly struck a parked car on Railroad Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, August 22.
John Lawrence Ball of Lynnewood Drive in St. Michaels allegedly ran into a parked car, pushed it against two other cars, damaging them, then turned his car over on its side on Railroad Avenue in St. Michaels.
When police arrived, they made sure no one was hurt, according to St. Michaels Police Chief Anthony Smith, then discovered that Ball had an outstanding warrant from the Department of Natural Resources for harvesting oysters when the season was closed.
They mentioned it to Ball, and he “fled the scene,” according to Chief Smith.
A St. Michaels police officer followed in pursuit in a patrol car, according to the chief.
“The officer inadvertently struck a firefighter,” he said.
The firefighter, whose name was not released, was taken to the emergency room at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, where he was treated and released.
St. Michaels Fire Chief Phil Jones said the firefighter was deemed uninjured by medical staff.
“He’s probably going to be sore tomorrow,” Jones said. He said the firefighter was back doing his firefighting duties that night, responding to a kitchen fire on Ralston Drive eight hours later.
“Accidents happen,” Jones said. “This is why it’s dangerous operating a motor vehicle where we are responding to an accident.”
Traffic was re-routed through St. Michaels for more than an hour around the overturned car.
John Lawrence Ball is still at large and still has an outstanding warrant out for his arrest.
The Maryland State Police are investigating the incident.
Those responding to both accident and incident include the St. Michaels Police, the Talbot County Sheriff’s office, the Maryland State Police, Talbot County EMS and St. Michaels Fire Department.