(Breaking news) Driver killed in collision with officer in Dunkirk

I am new to Maryland (only been here 6months) and I am appalled at the way the law enforcement in this area takes for granted that they are cops and can drive 75-80 miles an hour down rt 4. I have witnessed this many, many, many times. They are suppose to protect us, but they are humans like the rest of us,and they to can cause an accident by driving extremly fast, for lets face it no reason, just because they can. Lights and sirens should always be on in case of emergencys, no excuses! Just because you are law enforcement, does not make you God. You like everyone else can take lives, by losing control of your car. This is no Nascar or a racetrack of any sort. Law enforcement officers should follow the speed limit, like everyone else. And in any emergency use lights and sirens, letting everyone know that you are going to an emergency.

One more thing..driving past that wreck there were at least 20-30 law enforcement veichles at the scene..why? In reality all you need are probably 5-6. Because a cop was involved, every cop was out there, and a large majority were hanging away from the accident. And did anyone make it to the domestic call? I dont know how since they all seemed to be at the accident. I will give a thumbs up though to the crew who handled the traffic control.. job well done ( Ibelieve they were city workers)

What is disturbing to me is all of you armchair quarterbacks that get eternity to pick apart a split decision made by one person. You hypocrites are the ones that gladly jump out behind police cars and follow them down the roads.
It's no secret that everyone dislikes deputies, officers, or troopers, but it's so funny that the most "vocal" internet badass that you all come off as are the first ones to wave, or smile, or whatever other fake greeting you give because you think it makes a difference. It doesn't, it's seen through. Let's face it, it's only about you, and that's why you come to a site where you can form your little therapy groups and place blame. The problem is, none of the complainers are "doers", they are just talk to hear themselves. You aren't doing anything about the problems now, you never have. So why start? There ar so many of you on here with so much time to burn. Perhaps if you were better educated and could put two rational thoughts together you wouldn't have gotten laid off from McDonalds and wouldn't have all this free time on your hands. How many people would tear each of you apart if they could watch everything you do in your job? That might be the problem too, that the reason that they don't is... because we simply don't care unless we need you...just like the police.

big T wrote:

you know if you are a police officer and you respond to calls at high rates of speed then you should know the blind spots in the county that man did not give that girl a chance to see him maybe the ass hole cops down here should look where there going stead of putting people life in danger . YO Cops if your responding or just driving fast and you know its a blind spot coming up slow down if you dont know the road in the county by now then slow down. if i was any dumber i would join the force.

If you were any dumber you'd have to concentrate hard just to remember to breathe. LOL...idiot.

Troubled wrote:

I am new to Maryland (only been here 6months) and I am appalled at the way the law enforcement in this area takes for granted that they are cops and can drive 75-80 miles an hour down rt 4.

Then go back to wherever you came from. There are enough retards born in this state, there is no need to import them.

Troubled wrote:

I have witnessed this many, many, many times. They are suppose to protect us, but they are humans like the rest of us,and they to can cause an accident by driving extremly fast, for lets face it no reason, just because they can. Lights and sirens should always be on in case of emergencys, no excuses! Just because you are law enforcement, does not make you God. You like everyone else can take lives, by losing control of your car. This is no Nascar or a racetrack of any sort. Law enforcement officers should follow the speed limit, like everyone else. And in any emergency use lights and sirens, letting everyone know that you are going to an emergency.

I completely agree. However, individual troopers and deputies do not write policy, just like you don't choose which houses to pick up trash at. You do what you are directed to by the Board of Trash Collectors, just like officers do from their Sheriff or Superintendent. Does it make sense to run lights and sirens to every call? No. This county would be complaining of all the noise of the sirens in every town up and down Route 4. Instead of giving your obviously uninformed opinion, why don't you do some research and try to come up with a solution instead of presuming to know what police officers think.

My partner told me about this horrific accident. The next morning, I drove past the site on my way to work. I gazed at the cross and flowers already assembled and had a pit in my heart. I heard that she had just graduated. I thought to myself...her life had only just begun to blossom. Wasn't there something in the past year on and all over the news that cops drive entirely too fast...even when responding to a call. They are putting us, the people who pay their salaries at risk. I was recently in traffic court and a lot of the citations were for people driving 57-59 miles in a 55 speed zone. There is a cop who stakes out the stretch of Rt. 4 from the hospital North towards DC up until the light at the bowling alley. He pulls over people at 5am....probably going a few miles over the speed limit.
I have a 9yr. old son with ADD/ADHD who in the future will be a driver on these roads. I am already worried but...always telling him as I drive about safety on Rt. 4. He can't remember what he learned in school that day but I hope he remembers what his "mean old mom" taught him about road safety.
ALWAYS REMEMBER!!! Never pull out in front of a car that you know is going at least 55-60mph. Wait until that car passes, then proceed when safe. If the car in back of you honks, give them the "OH WELL" gesture with your shoulders. It's not worth the rush to get to that light when I will see you there.

One cause for this accident created by the Sheriff is having requested and approved by the Commissioners the emergency lights inside the patrol cars and not on top of the roof of the police cars. As mentioned earlier, Calvert County is hilly and roads have many curves. If the emergency lights were on top of the police cars as in other jurisdictions then drivers will be more able to see speeding police cars coming over hills or around turns earlier thereby making roads safer. Could you imagine an ambulance with its emergency lights just inside the the ambulance. Emergency lights are placed on top of the vehicles for a safety reasons. So they can be seen at a greater distance. It also makes it easier to ID that it is a police car at night time if one is pulled over.
What type of training are our the Deputies receiving? Are roads ever closed and a group of duputies placed in personal vehicles with the air confitioning running, windows rolled up, radio playing and conversation in th car as a police car with a siren is speeding from behind? Would they hear or see the approaching police car? This may teach our police that lights and sirens are not always seen nor heard as they assume.

Sorry but I completely disagree with you. Just because an officer is responding to a call... doesn't give them the right to kill an innocent bystander. He should have approached that intersection with some caution and have reduced his speed. This accident could have been avoided.I would have more respect for the police if they would just own up to this mistake and learn something from it..but of course that won't happen. It will take a law suit to give the family a little justice. I'm just sorry that I read today that the maxium they can sue for is $200,000. My childen are whole so much more and I'm sure her family feels the same. One can only hope that the police will learn something from this horrible accident and that it will never happen again.

DUNKIRK resident wrote:

If you were the person who made the call reporting domestic violence and was having a gun placed to your head you wouldn't feel that the police officer wasn't going fast enough since your life was hanging in the balance. That is there job to respond as quick as possible. To blame the police officer or police officers solely is completely wrong. When I travel down or up route 4 through Calvert Co. the cars that are at high rate of speed racing past me are the young drivers trying to race there friends with no concept for others. This is why it is called an accident!!! I am sure that the officer had no intention of hitting this other vehicle. My thoughts and prayers are with both families. I know we want to blame someone for this tragedy but look at this from both sides.

Why don't you do us all a favor and crawl back under the rock you crawled out from. You are a nut!! You are just a lonely, angery nut that no one is interested in hearing from.

Repoort wrote:

<quoted text>
Then go back to wherever you came from. There are enough retards born in this state, there is no need to import them.
<quoted text>
I completely agree. However, individual troopers and deputies do not write policy, just like you don't choose which houses to pick up trash at. You do what you are directed to by the Board of Trash Collectors, just like officers do from their Sheriff or Superintendent. Does it make sense to run lights and sirens to every call? No. This county would be complaining of all the noise of the sirens in every town up and down Route 4. Instead of giving your obviously uninformed opinion, why don't you do some research and try to come up with a solution instead of presuming to know what police officers think.

1 1 5 MPH This is the speed of the police car that hit the car on Rt. 4 according to the Recorder Newspaper on Friday, September 20.
According to the news article the AA County Police did an accident recreation to determine the speed of the police car. The speed limit was 45 MPH. Nothing was said about the speed of the second police car responding to the call with the police car that crashed.
115 MPH is 168 feet per second (115mph x 5280ft / 3600 second in an hour = 168.6 feet per second). The newspaper stated the yound lady was hit saw the police car for 1-second or less. That the siren on the police car cannot be heard in front of the police car travelling at this spped. Also, blue police lights are difficult to see in the daytime.
I am not an anti-police person but just someone does not understand what emergency needs a police car going this fast in a 45 MPH zone? If the police car did not hit the car at Apple Green then what would have happen at Ward Road where the intersection is much more congested?
The emergency the police were going to this day does not justify this speed. A police officer in trouble may have police cars speeding but there must be a upper limit to their speed. Otherwise, anyone of us are sitting ducks for the next accident.
Calvert Duputies need more training and better procedures for there police officers.
Ny thoughts and prays are for the family and friends of Rachel and of the police officer that was injuried.
Sheriff, please send your Deputies to training and impliment better procedures to avoid this type of accident from occuring with your Department again!

My cousin was killed in this accident...we are trying to get as much information as we can. If anyone knows anything please e-mail me. The officer was going 110mph when he crashed into her car and since this accident we have been fighting to find out what happened and to take action on this. Thanks to everyone for your prayer and support. FolkRegion@gmail.com.

The girl didn't have a chance. After looking left, she began to cross over the northbound lane of Rte 4. There was no car within her sight distance. At 115 mph, the police officer offered her no chance to live. She did nothing wrong. She was driving safe and looked before she entered the roadway. Her life was cut short at the expense of a police officer's wrecklessness. At 115 mph, the siren is approximately 40 miles behind his vehicle. The terrain of the road did not allow for the visibility of his lights. The interesection itself is a death trap on a normal day. I know this because my grandmother lived in Apple Green for 25 years and my brother also lives in the neighborhood. God rest her soul!