Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Eddis Floyd Martin died as a result of injuries he suffered when his patrol struck a vehicle that pulled onto the road in front of his patrol car as he was pursuing a speeding vehicle two months earlier. About 8:30pm on Sunday, April 20th, 1958, Chief Martin was conducting traffic enforcement on Route 8 in Penn Township when he began chasing a speeding vehicle. Another vehicle pulled out from the parking lot of the Stepp Inn onto the highway in front of his patrol car. The chief struck the left rear of that vehicle, then crossed the road, hitting a utility pole. The impact jammed the doors of the patrol car, trapping Chief Martin inside for about ten minutes.
The fire department was able to free him after prying the car doors open. Chief Martin was taken to Butler County Memorial Hospital with severe head and chest injuries. He remained in the hospital in serious condition for several weeks but was then released. He passed away at his home about one week later. The Butler County coroner ruled his death was the result of injuries suffered as a result of this accident. Chief Martin had served as the police chief of Penn Township for years following his retirement from a local manufacturing plant.
Chief of Police Eddis Floyd Martin died as a result of injuries he suffered when his patrol struck a vehicle that pulled onto the road in front of his patrol car as he was pursuing a speeding vehicle two months earlier.
About 8:30pm on Sunday, April 20th, 1958, Chief Martin was conducting traffic enforcement on Route 8 in Penn Township when he began chasing a speeding vehicle. Another vehicle pulled out from the parking lot of the Stepp Inn onto the highway in front of his patrol car. The chief struck the left rear of that vehicle, then crossed the road, hitting a utility pole. The impact jammed the doors of the patrol car, trapping Chief Martin inside for about ten minutes.
The fire department was able to free him after prying the car doors open. Chief Martin was taken to Butler County Memorial Hospital with severe head and chest injuries. He remained in the hospital in serious condition for several weeks but was then released. He passed away at his home about one week later. The Butler County coroner ruled his death was the result of injuries suffered as a result of this accident.
Chief Martin had served as the police chief of Penn Township for years following his retirement from a local manufacturing plant.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and daughter.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Martin gave the Penn Township Police Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Butler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Martin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police Eddis Floyd Martin is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eddis Floyd Martin's cause is highlighted.
How Eddis Floyd Martin Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Eddis Floyd Martin is highlighted in Jun.