On Thursday evening August 10, 2007, West Friendship VFD responded to assist a Howard County police officer after being struck by a van while directing traffic. Police Officer First Class Jeff Specht, a 4-year veteran of the police department, was hit by a Dodge Caravan as he directed traffic leaving the Howard County fairgrounds in West Friendship. The officer was flown to Shock Trauma with non life threatening injuries. The driver of the Dodge, a 59-year-old man, and his passenger, a 44-year old female, stopped immediately after striking Specht. Neither was injured. No charges have been filed at this time. Specht was standing in the west bound lane of Rt. 144 at Fairground Road wearing a reflective vest when he was hit. From a preliminary review, it appears that the van sideswiped Specht as it rounded too close to him while pulling out of the fairgrounds. The investigation is ongoing.
