A Louisville Metro Police officer was struck by another driver while working a single-vehicle crash at the intersection of 1st Street and Badger Avenue around 7 p.m. Sunday, with police saying they suspect the other driver was intoxicated. The officer had emergency lights and sirens activated at the time of the collision, and was taken to the hospital with injuries officials described as non-life-threatening.
According to WLKY, the officer was working the original crash at 1st and Badger when another driver hit both the officer and the officer's vehicle. The outlet reported that the officer had emergency equipment, lights and sirens on when they were hit, and was reportedly alert and conscious after the crash. The collision happened near Louisville's Beechmont and Southside neighborhoods on Sunday night.
LMPD officials said they suspect the driver who struck the officer was intoxicated. That driver is now facing charges of DUI, wanton endangerment, assault and other charges related to the crash, per the same report.
Not an Isolated Incident for LMPD
Sunday's crash involved an on-duty Louisville officer being struck by another vehicle. In December, a Seventh Division officer was hit while exiting the Gene Snyder Freeway onto Bardstown Road during an emergency call, with the station's report noting his vehicle was struck by a woman driving another vehicle. That driver stayed at the scene and did not need medical attention, while the officer suffered only bruising from his airbag deploying.
In August, an LMPD officer was injured in Louisville's Valley Station neighborhood after a car pulled out in front of her cruiser while she was responding to a call with lights and sirens on, causing the two vehicles to collide, according to WDRB.
Impaired Driving Remains a Persistent Concern
Impaired driving has repeatedly surfaced as a factor in serious Kentucky crashes. A Kentucky State Police crash-facts report notes that 152 deaths on the state's roadways were due to drivers under the influence of alcohol, though the full scope of that report was not independently reviewed beyond the available figures. Separately, Louisville's Vision Zero program has said that between 2018 and 2022, an impaired driver caused 10% of the fatal and suspected serious injury crashes in the city, excluding interstates.
No further details on the officer's condition, the suspected driver's identity, or the exact charges that may ultimately be filed have been released.
