Police officers hurt in road crash

A traffic cop was thrown under his vehicle and knocked unconscious while helping a brokendown driver on the A361. His Sergeant was flung onto the verge by the impact, when a car ploughed into the back of their parked patrol vehicle.

The Sergeant has been praised for his quick actions, rescuing his injured colleague. The crash happened just before 6pm on January 8th near Landkey. The link road was closed from Aller Cross to Barnstaple for several hours while an investigation was carried out.

Chief Superintendent Matt Lawler, head of specialist operations for Devon and Cornwall Police, said, “I spoke to both officers shortly afterwards and I’m so relieved they were not more seriously injured. This highlights the dangerous role that our roads policing officers undertake every day on our behalf, and it’s obvious to say that this could easily have resulted in fatalities.”

“This was a truly frightening experience for everyone involved, especially for the officer who regained consciousness whilst still lying underneath his own police vehicle, and I pay tribute to the courage and focus of his Sergeant in coming to his aid.”

The police officers had stopped to help a broken-down driver at the roadside when their vehicle was struck from behind by a Citroen C4, driven by a 77-year-old Bideford woman. They had been protecting the scene with their marked BMW X5 (similar to the one pictured above), with all its emergency lights on, for about 15 minutes when the collision happened.

The Citroen rebounded into the opposite carriageway, hitting another vehicle, which also then collided with a further motorist.

The driver of the broken-down vehicle was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.

Officers have also been investigating the drivers’ reasons for being out during Covid lockdown. All those hurt were checked over in hospital before being allowed home to recover.