Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – A Mt. Juliet Police vehicle was struck while an officer was tending to a single car crash on Interstate 40. On May 26, 2015 around 1:05 p.m. an officer was on the scene of a single-car hydroplane crash on Interstate 40 East near the 226 mile-marker when his police car was hit by vehicle that hydroplaned.
Prior to the impact, the police vehicle was parked on the right shoulder of the interstate with its blue lights and traffic directional bar activated. A Honda Accord, travelling in the far left lane, hydroplaned, spun-out, hit the left wall, and bounced across to the right shoulder, striking the patrol vehicle. After striking the patrol car, the Accord spun in front of the patrol car. At the time of the crash, the officer was out of the police car and 100 feet ahead, on the right shoulder, tending to the original crash.
The driver and only occupant of the Accord, an adult female, received very minor injuries as a result of the crash and was not transported by ambulance. The officer helped the driver through her driver-side window due to all the doors being inoperable and a large amount of fuel leaking. Thankfully, the officer was unharmed in the incident.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to investigate the crash, which is department policy anytime a Mt. Juliet police vehicle is involved in a crash.
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