Photos/Story by Doug Walton
Shortly after 10:30 AM on June 13, 2001, school had let out for the summer
and students were leaving the campus of Atholton High School at 6520 Freetown
Road in Columbia, anxious to begin the summer.
3 students were traveling in a
later model Honda Accord, which is reported to have been traveling at a high
rate of speed, struck an electric pole, snagged the bottom part of the pole,
and pulled it out of the hole in the ground and dragged it approximately 5
feet.
The top part of the pole came to rest on the now mangled Accord,
energizing the vehicle and trapping the occupants. One occupant was able to
self extricate through the shattered rear window, but the 2 front seat
occupants were trapped.
The driver, a 16 yr. old, was killed on impact and
his brother, the front passenger seat occupant, was trapped in excess of one
hour as Howard County Fire & Rescue awaited Baltimore Gas & Electric to
disconnect the power so that extrication and stabilization could begin.
The call was initially dispatched as a generic rescue assignment, dispatching
Engine 71, Tower 7 and Paramedic 105. As units were checking up on the air
responding, further information was received that there were 2 subjects in
the car, unconscious. At this point, EMS 3 (Medical Duty Officer) and
Battalion Chief 1 (in the area at 29 & 32) checked up on the call as well,
and an additional medic unit (Paramedic 55) was added to the call.
Units arrived to find a Honda Accord on it's side with an electric pole split
in half, and requested BGE with a rush, due to the live power lines down on
the car. Unable to access the patients due to live wires, HCFR personnel used
binoculars to try to evaluate the patients and determined the driver to be a
priority 4 (DOA), and the passenger to be at least a priority 2, but was
later reclassified as a priority 1 (life threatening).
A hot zone was established on the other side of the 2 lane road, and all but
the most essential people were kept outside the line.
As additional units arrived, Battalion Chief Kevin Aftung (Battalion Chief 1)
arrived and took the Harriet Tubman Command and switch units to Fire 2 for
the operation. He was relieved of Command by Battalion Chief 2 (Acting
Battalion Chief Chip Wiley), and went back in service after approximately
30-45 minutes. A Maryland State Police helicopter was requested for a
medevac, and landed at Atholton High School.
Once BGE arrived and secured the power to the lines, HCFR was able to move in
and stabilize the car, the priority 1 patient (passenger) was extricated in
approximately 15 minutes and transported to the landing zone by Paramedic
105.
The individual who was able to self extricate was a refusal against medical
advice, and the passenger who was trapped was flown via Trooper 1 to Shock
Trauma in Baltimore, and released later that night.
