Firefighter Dies After Carroll Driver's Head-On Crash: Police

FREDERICK COUNTY, MD — Police said a Carroll County driver was killed in a head-on crash Monday afternoon, and a firefighter responding to the incident also died when he experienced a medical emergency. Two people inside a tractor-trailer were hospitalized, according to Maryland State Police. Their vehicle had swerved to try to avoid the collision but hit the car head-on along MD 26/Liberty Road.

Kevin N. Tevelow, 22, of New Windsor, was pronounced deceased at the scene, officials reported.

Tevelow had been driving a 2016 Volkswagen west on MD 26 near Unionville Road before 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 25, when police said he tried to pass another vehicle headed west. Authorities said Tevelow was trying to pass in a zone where passing was not permitted, and he failed to yield to the tractor-trailer that was traveling east on Route 26.

Court records show Tevelow was cited April 25, exactly two months earlier, for speeding on MD 26 at Hooper Road, about 5 miles east of Tuesday's crash site. He was allegedly going 65 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Authorities said the International tractor and tanker trailer hauling water on Route 26 near Unionville Road Tuesday swerved to the eastbound shoulder in an attempt to avoid the crash, but the two hit head-on.

Troopers from the Frederick barrack were dispatched to the collision, where fire and EMS personnel were working to free those trapped inside both vehicles.

Tractor-trailer driver Ricky H. Hyde, 60, of Manchester, and passenger George N. Riggle, 58, of Millers, were both injured and were taken to Carroll Hospital Center for treatment, police said.

While at the scene, a volunteer firefighter experienced a medical emergency, officials said.

Michael Powers of the Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, police said.

Powers was a life member of the Libertytown Volunteer Fire Department, according to the agency, which said he dedicated more than 50 years to the fire service. Powers had been a member of the Carroll Manor Volunteer Fire Company and Brunswick Volunteer Fire Company, officials said.

A procession escorted Powers from the hospital to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore Tuesday night, according to Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services.

Among those lining up to salute their fallen brother were firefighters from the Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department in Baltimore County, pictured below, along Joh Avenue over Interstate 95.

Route 26 was closed for more than five hours due to the investigation, which included what police called an "extensive scene."

Detours were in place before 6:30 p.m. until Route 26 reopened, officials said.