Police Investigate Fatal Collision Involving Harford County Dump Truck

HARFORD COUNTY - A crash involving a Harford County dump truck led to the death of a Fallston man on Thursday, according to the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

According to the sheriff's office, a dump truck driven by a Public Works employee was navigating around an active work zone on Baldwin Mill Road at Furnace Road in Jarrettsville when the truck collided with a BMW driving northbound on Route 165.

Officials stated that county emergency services received a distress call at 12:43 p.m. from the worksite, with Fire and EMS teams arriving on the scene four minutes later.

The driver of the BMW, John Derwart, a 78-year-old Fallston resident, was pronounced dead at the scene just before 1:00 p.m.

Joan Bridges, 81, also from Fallston and a passenger in the BMW, was rushed to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. No other injuries were reported.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the driver who died," County Executive Bob Cassilly said. "And we are supporting our public works staff as they deal with this tragedy."

Harford County Department of Emergency Services (DES) has activated a peer support team to assist the DPW staff during this difficult time.

The Harford County Sheriff's Office is investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident. Anyone with information relevant to the investigation is urged to contact the Harford County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit at 443-409-3324.

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