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del.icio.usCop crashes while answering call
BY STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle
A Wichita police officer suffered minor injuries after colliding with a pickup while he was responding to an emergency call early Thursday.
The officer struck the pickup at about 12:40 a.m. at Harry and Woodlawn, and the pickup struck a car. The officer, an eight-year veteran, was treated for minor injuries at Wesley Medical Center and released, police said.
Two people in the pickup were treated and released from Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Joseph Campus. A man and woman in the car hit by the pickup refused treatment.
Patrol East Lt. Jeff Allen said the officer had activated his lights and siren in response to an "officer in trouble" call.
"Indications were the officer went through a red light, which is legal" when lights and sirens are on, he said.
But departmental policy dictates that officers make a reasonable effort to slow down and look both ways to ensure an intersection is clear -- particularly when coming upon a red light.
Internal investigations are conducted anytime an officer is involved in an accident, Allen said.
A dispatcher issued the "officer in trouble" call after not being able to contact an officer who had made a traffic stop near the chain-reaction crash scene. The call was canceled a short time later.
Reach Stan Finger at 316-268-6437 or sfinger@wichitaeagle.com.
