Maryland:Police car struck in Ellicott City; officer hospitalized
A police officer was injured Thursday after his police car was rear-ended while on a traffic call in Ellicott City, according to Howard County police.
The officer responded around 11:30 a.m. to the ramp from westbound Route 100 to northbound U.S. Route 29 to investigate a collision. He was in the driver's seat of his patrol vehicle with emergency lights on and stopped in the right lane to divert traffic from the earlier collision when his vehicle was struck from behind by a 2005 Chrysler PT Cruiser.
The officer, identified as Officer First Class Michael Marino, a 13-year veteran of the department who is assigned to patrol in the Ellicott City area, was taken to Shock Trauma, police said.
He was released from the hospital Thursday evening, officials said.
The driver of the car that struck the officer's car, identified as Bianca Taylor, 24, of Rosedale, was taken to St. Agnes Hospital with minor injuries and has been released.
Police said a preliminary investigation puts Taylor at fault. Charges are pending.
The investigation is ongoing.
The ramp from westbound Route 100 to northbound Route 29 was closed for about two hours.
Police are reminding drivers of Maryland's "Move Over" law, which requires drivers approaching a stopped emergency or service vehicle with red, yellow or amber flashing lights to, when possible, move over a lane or slow down to a reasonable speed that is safe for existing conditions while passing.
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