BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. -- Baltimore County police said Tim Wheatley, business editor of The Baltimore Sun, was killed in a car crash Monday morning and that his 9-year-old daughter was seriously injured.
The collision occurred at 8:54 a.m. near York Road and Corbett Road, not far from Hereford Middle School.
Police spokesman Bill Toohey said Wheatley was making a left turn in the area that's about two miles from his home when a UPS truck struck the
driver's side of his vehicle.
The 48-year-old Wheatley died at the scene. His daughter, Sarah, who was in the front passenger seat, was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The crash closed down a portion of York Road on Monday morning.
Toohey said a traffic light controls the intersection and it appeared to be working. Police are investigating to determine whether either driver ran a red light.
Meanwhile, the community is questioning the safety of the traffic light that was put up last year after residents lobbied for it.
The signal is part-time, meaning the lights are either solid red or green on school days from 7 to 8 a.m. and from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. At all other times, it's flashing red on Corbett Road and flashing yellow on York Road.
Residents said the solid lights are what make all the difference.
"It's worse now because nobody stops coming out the other way. They just think, 'There's a light there, everybody's got to slow down.' They just keep on trucking," said resident Shawn Reachard.
Wheatley started at The Sun in 2006 as sports editor. He moved to the business department earlier this year during a newsroom reorganization. His title was head of money and spending.
"Tim was a terrific journalist and an accomplished editor, but more important, he was a wonderful colleague," said J. Montgomery "Monty" Cook, editor of The Baltimore Sun.
"Tim cared about those he worked with and those who worked for him. During his first three years at the Sun, Tim's drive and determination led the Sports section to numerous national and regional awards. Earlier this year, he took the helm of The Sun's business section and worked with his staff to deliver articles of great insight and importance to readers. We will miss him greatly."
Before his stint at the Sun, Wheatley was assistant managing editor for sports at The Indianapolis Star for six years. He also held editorial positions at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Florida Times-Union and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal during his 26-year career.
He was a longtime member of the Associated Press Sports Editors and served for a year as second vice president of that group's board.
"He had a wonderful sense of humor and a hell of a work ethic," APSE president Garry Howard said. "All of us at APSE are saddened by this horrific news."
Sarah Wheatley is a student at Sparks Elementary. Parents were alerted of the accident via letters sent home with students.
