Rescuers Free Trapped Occupant After Tree Crash

Incident Information

Firefighters freed a trapped occupant within approximately five minutes after a vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree in St. Mary’s County.

Emergency crews were dispatched at about 7:40 p.m. on July 20, 2026, to the area of St. Andrews Church Road and Old St. Andrews Church Road in California, Maryland.

Initial information provided to emergency communications indicated that the vehicle was smoking and one person was trapped inside. Responding firefighters found the vehicle off the roadway and resting against a tree.

Crews stabilized the vehicle before gaining access to the trapped occupant. The extrication was completed in approximately five minutes, allowing emergency medical personnel to evaluate the people involved.

Maryland State Police Aviation Command’s Trooper 7 helicopter was initially requested to transport a patient. The aviation response was later canceled after medical personnel reassessed the situation.

One patient was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The injuries were reported as non-life-threatening. A second person declined additional medical treatment at the scene.

Authorities did not release the identities of the occupants or the vehicle’s make and model. It was also unclear which occupant had been trapped.

The roadway was temporarily closed in both directions as firefighters, emergency medical personnel and law-enforcement officers operated at the scene. Crews treated the injured, documented the collision and arranged for the damaged vehicle to be removed.

Investigators had not determined why the vehicle left the roadway. No information was released regarding speed, impairment, distraction, weather or a potential mechanical problem.

Although the reported injuries were not life-threatening, the initial request for an aviation unit and the need for extrication reflected the seriousness of the emergency response.

The cause remained under investigation.

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