Maryland State Police are investigating a crash early Friday involving a vehicle that struck a Montgomery County firefighter working at the scene of a collision on the inner loop of the Beltway near Exit 29 in Silver Spring, according to authorities.
The injured Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) firefighter was identified as Michael Doyle, 54. He was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., for treatment, state police said in a statement Friday afternoon. No information about his condition was provided.
The driver of the striking vehicle, identified as Alberto Zurita, 45, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to police. He was transported to the state police barrack in Rockville for processing, according to the statement. Police did not say where Zurita lived and no court records concerning his case were available online Friday.
According to the statement, state troopers and MCFRS crews responded at about 2:40 a.m. to a report of a collision involving a Lexus sedan and a tractor-trailer truck on the highway near University Boulevard.
As troopers investigated, several lanes on the inner loop were closed and blocked off by traffic cones, flares and two marked patrol vehicles with emergency lights activated, police said.
At about 3 a.m., a BMW sedan allegedly driven by Zurita drove through the lane closure and struck two unoccupied patrol vehicles and Doyle.
No state troopers or other firefighters at the scene were injured, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote on social media Friday.
The passing vehicle also struck an MCFRS firetruck, Piringer said.
Some inner loop lanes of the highway were blocked, but all lanes had reopened by about 4:45 a.m., according to the Maryland State Highway Administration.
