A Memphis Police Department squad car was involved in an incident Tuesday night after a vehicle collided with it on Ridgeway near Village Grove, the department reported. As detailed by Action News 5, the accident occurred around 10:45 p.m. when a driver exiting a stop sign failed to see the northbound patrol car, resulting in the crash.
The officer, who was responding to a wounding call at the time, required assistance after the collision. The squad car sustained damage significant enough to necessitate towing from the scene, according to Memphis Police. The driver responsible for the accident was cited by officers at the scene. Local Memphis reports that despite no serious injuries, both parties experienced soreness following the incident.
In a related note, authorities have cited the driver of the non-MPD vehicle for several traffic violations, including failure to yield when pulling from a stop sign. "The driver of the first car told investigators that she did not see the MPD vehicle," FOX13 Memphis reported. These events unfolded near the Ridgeway police station at the intersection of Ridgeway Road and Ridgeway Boulevard, adding yet another tally to what appears to be a troubling trend of MPD-related vehicular accidents.
So far this year, data indicates that the city's police department has witnessed at least 240 crashes involving police vehicles — this averages to at least one wreck a day. Interestingly, in the case of the latest Ridgeway incident, the MPD officer did not have his emergency lights activated at the time of the crash, potentially bringing into question the standard operating protocols under such circumstances.
