CUYAHOGA COUNTY — A police sergeant in Ohio was injured in a crash during a traffic stop Thursday night, according to our CBS affiliate WOIO-19 TV.
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The crash happened on Interstate 77 between Fleet Avenue and Pershing Avenue in Cuyahoga County around 8:30 p.m.
Newburgh Heights police officers were investigating a suspected drunk driver who hit the median when the second crash happened, according to WOIO-19.
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Officer Matthew Hitch was arresting the suspected drunk driver when another driver crashed into one of the police cruisers.
“While we were in the process of arresting him, another motorist collided with one of our cruiser,” Hitch told WOIO-19. “We almost got hit. Our sergeant sustained a minor injury to her leg. It gave us all a pretty good scare.”
Hitch tried to get the sergeant out of the way, but couldn’t react as he was handcuffing the suspect.
“I tried to grab her and move her out of the way, but obviously I was in the middle of hooking someone up in handcuffs, so I couldn’t possibly move everyone at once,” he said.
WOIO-19 obtained body camera footage of the crash, which captured the injured sergeant saying her leg hurt and asking for multiple ambulances.
Newburgh Heights Police Department Chief John Majoy said this crash was completely preventable, as three police cruisers had their emergency lights on and were clearly visible on the interstate.
“It’s a pretty scary situation because these guys are out there protecting the public from this driver and we have another driver come by,” Majoy told our CBS affiliate. “There are three lanes of the highway and why they can’t move over. There’s three cruisers with flashing red and blue lights, came right up behind the car and hit the cruiser right in the back. That didn’t have to happen.”
The sergeant’s identity wasn’t released, but she was treated for her injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.
The investigation into the initial suspected DUI crash and the second crash is underway.
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