Posted onAugust 14, 2005 :
The officer, Correctional Officer First Class Jeffrey Lane Merchant, 42, sustained life-threatening injuries and was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to Baltimore Shock Trauma, where he has received treatment. Although his injuries are considered serious, they are no longer life-threatening. The inmate, Kenneth Leroy Estepp, 47, of Waldorf, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was flown by a US Park Police helicopter to Prince George's General Hospital. The 17-year-old sustained incapacitating injuries and was flown by a Maryland State Police helicopter to Prince George's General Hospital, where his injuries are said to be non-life-threatening. The driver of the Dodge 1500, Calvin Lee Jr., 33, and his passenger, a 13-year-old boy, both of La Plata, were treated on the scene by emergency medical services personnel. The correctional officer and the inmate were en route to the Charles County Detention Center from a dentist appointment. Speed and driver error appear to be factors in the crash. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor. Everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seatbelt. No charges have been filed. Cpl. D. W. Belfield of the Traffic Operations Unit is investigating the crash. |