Tow Truck Operator Knocked Off I-83, Officer Injured

(UPDATED 12:43 p.m., Sat.)—A car crash knocked a man off an elevated portion of Interstate 83 onto a grassy area surrounded by the Jones Falls River, about 25 feet below the highway Friday evening.

Det. Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman, said the injured man was a Department of Transportation tow truck operator who was assisting following a single car accident on the southbound portion of the highway, just past the Coldspring Lane exit.

An officer from the Northern District was also at the accident scene when a second car crashed, struck the officer and ejected the man over the jersey wall.

Silbert said that officers arrived on the scene, scaled down the side of the highway and waded through waste high water to reach the injured man.

Both the officer and the tow truck driver are still being treated at University of Maryland R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center.

"We want to remind everyone, whenever you're driving, regardless of the weather, always be mindful of your speed, always be mindful of your surroundings, always stay focused on driving," Silbert said.

A similar incident occured two years ago when Teresa Rigby, a Baltimore police officer, was knocked off the side of I-83 in nearly the same location but in the northbound lanes. She suffered a broken leg, shattered pelvis and had to undergo some facial reconstruction surgery.