Accident

An accident on southbound Interstate 83 is causing traffic delays between West Cold Spring Lane and the Union Avenue overpass. The northbound lanes appear to be clear. Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, a fire dispatcher said. steve.kilar@baltsun.com twitter.com/stevekilar

Tea Party leader Del. Neil Parrott offered fresh details about the boating collision that put six people in the hospital and is threatening to end the political career of Del. Don Dwyer, who was drunkenly at the helm. Parrott said that Dwyer's boat was "struck" by another other vessel. "Don assured me that he did everything he could do to avoid the collision," Parrott wrote in an email to his colleagues in the General Assembly. "Don indicated that he had been drinking, however, at this point it is unclear whether he alcohol had anything to do with the accident," Parrott wrote.

The House GOP caucus in Annapolis put out a statement this afternoon that they are "troubled" by the behavior of Republican Del. Don Dwyer, who has acknowledged being drunk while piloting a  speedboat that collided with another vessel and sent six people to the hospital. Dwyer admitted that he had a .2 blood alcohol level -- more than twice the legal limit -- when he was driving his boat Wednesday evening in the Magothy River. Dwyer's boat sank. Two adults and four children were hospitalized.

As of 8 a.m., Maryland Route 27 in Carroll County remains shut down in both directions at Twin Arch Road due to an accident involving two vehicles. Maryland Route 295 southbound is reopen after briefly being closed early Monday morning due to an accident involving two vehicles at the exit to the National Security Agency in Anne Arundel County.

Anne Arundel County police report that a 63-year-old man was struck by a car and killed Monday evening as he attempted to cross Ritchie Highway in the Jumpers Hole area. According to police, Raymond Richard Walkup, of no fixed address, died from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a Mercury Grand Marquis traveling southbound on Ritchie Highway, north of Jumpers Hole Road. Police were called to the scene at 7:44 p.m., and found the injured man and driver of the Mercury Grand Marquis.

I would like to comment on Michael Dresser's article about "bad truck drivers" ("Can't avoid jackknifing? Don't be a truck driver," Feb. 8). Nowhere in that article did he mention the bad car drivers out there that cause 75 percent of the truck wrecks across the country. Mr. Dresser seems to have a grudge against truck drivers in general. Question to him: When was the last time you actually drove 40 tons down the road and tried to stop it on a dime because of a four-wheeler stopping in front of you on short notice?

One of two Pennsylvania men involved in an early Monday morning crash on the Harford County side of Conowingo Dam has died, Maryland State Police confirmed Monday afternoon. Anila Vadala, 28, of the 4000 block of Locust Street in Philadelphia, died following the two-vehicle accident, which occurred around 5:45 a.m. Monday on Route 1 near the dam, according to State Police. The accident involved a pickup truck and Honda, according to Sgt. Comer, duty officer at the Maryland State Police Barrack, which is investigating the crash.

The inexcusable shooting of a police trainee by fellow officers suggests that the Baltimore City Police Department should partner with the National Rifle Association or some similar organization for gun safety instructions ("Campus officer shot in training," Feb. 13). Anyone one who has ever taken a gun safety course knows there are certain basic rules for handling firearms. The shooting of the police trainee clearly indicates that at least three of these rules were broken: First, always check to see whether a gun is loaded; second, treat all guns as if they were loaded; and third, never point a gun at anything that you don't intend to kill.

Republican Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr.'s political future is in question after he drunkenly piloted a speedboat that collided with another vessel and sent six people — including four children — to the hospital, political observers said Friday. House Republican leaders in Annapolis issued a statement saying they are "troubled" by Dwyer's behavior, while House Speaker Michael E. Busch said the legislature's ethics committee would defer possible action until police are done investigating the accident.

As of 9 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow at Boston and Clinton streets in Baltimore, due to an accident. There were no delays reported on area transit systems.