Maryland lawmakers pass "Mason's Law" to improve storm drain safety standards
Maryland lawmakers passed a bill on the final day of the 2026 legislative session named after 13-year-old Mason Kearns, who died after he was pulled into a drainage pipe during severe storms in 2025.
Mason's Law will mandate the marking, guarding, and grading of storm drains to improve safety standards across the state.
In August, 2025, Allison Eggleston, Kearns' aunt, cited the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as she discussed the research into her nephew's death.
"Not a single law that outlines mandated marking, guarding, or grading horizontal storm drain systems to protect life," Eggleston said.
Days after Kearns died, Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller and the Kearns family gathered to raise awareness about the tragedy and announce the proposed legislation to improve storm drain safety across the state.
"Because Mason's story is all of our story, a reminder that safety is something we all have a stake in, whether at the state, federal, county or community level," Miller said.
Teen swept away in Maryland drain
On July 31, 2025, Kearns died after he was pulled into a drain during a severe storm in Mt. Airy, Maryland.
His family said Kearns was standing on solid ground before he was sucked into the drain and got stuck under five feet of floodwaters.
Eggleston said her two nephews were just 10 yards from their apartment when the nearby reservoir overflowed and brought water rushing down the hill.
"The storm drain pipe, which took Mason's life, was not visible, not just on this rainy day, but for a period that goes back prior to their moving in at the beginning of this year," Eggleston said.
Mt. Airy spokesperson Doug Alexander said the floodwaters were chest to waist deep while emergency responders worked to rescue Kearns.
"This isn't one you can train for. It just doesn't happen very often," Alexander said. "It took 45 or 50 minutes until they were able to get him extricated. The water was coming so hard that they couldn't pull him out, and the pressure was kind of sucking him into the pipe, so they did get a grip on him so he didn't wash further into the pipe until they could work up a way to get him out."
"He was submerged underwater, stuck and invisible due to an instant five-foot pool of water gathered in front of the pipe. Not just stuck. Mason was vacuum sealed into this drainpipe for reference," Eggleston added. "Mason was 5 feet, 6 inches, 180 pounds, the size of an adult."