An officer with the Lawrence Police Department was hospitalized yesterday afternoon after a motorist collided with a police car during a crash investigation near North Post Road and Pendleton Pike. The incident occurred as LPD officers responded to investigate an earlier crash at the intersection and had blocked off the area for safety, reported by FOX 59.
The detention of the motorist, who drove through the blocked-off investigation scene and struck the police vehicle, has led to a DUI investigation, the LPD confirmed the driver is now in custody. Following the collision, which transpired around 2:35 p.m., the involved police officer, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital out of precaution; the officer's car was occupied at the moment of the impact, and fortunately, they were described as "banged up" but expected to recover, WTHR conveyed Deputy Chief Travis Cline's comments.
Lawrence Police Deputy Chief Travis Cline told WTHR, "officer was inside the vehicle at the time it was struck," which underscores the risks officers face even when conducting routine procedures such as investigating traffic incidents. This situation unfolds in the continuum of public service where the unexpected looms unpredictable.
The Lawrence Police Department has yet to release additional details regarding the severity of the officer's injuries or the identity and potential charges against the motorist responsible for the crash, WISHTV mentions, no further information has been provided by the LPD though the incident has surely reiterated the dangers inherent in the flux of traffic and the law's enforcement within.
