Officers with the Tigard Police Department were in the midst of a field sobriety test when another driver smashed into their patrol car
August 20, 2023 at 21:21
Failing to slow down and move over for stopped emergency vehicles can prove dangerous. Of course, it’s harder to follow the rules of the road when you’re less than sober. That’s what police suspect of one woman who smashed into the back of a stopped police car while they were busy conducting a field sobriety test on another driver.
According to authorities with the Tigard Police Department in Oregon, the incident occurred a little after 2 a.m. on August 11th. That’s when they say that Officer Fink pulled over a car for going 106 mph in a 55 mph zone. The two stopped near the Denny Road exit and soon after Officer Teeny arrived as backup.
While the pair of officers were in the midst of field sobriety tests with that initial driver, a separate driver smashed into the back of Officer Teeny’s unoccupied patrol car. Thankfully, neither the driver, nor her passenger were seriously injured. We can’t say the same for her white Mazda 6 though. Video of the incident shows that both airbags deployed and the front of the car is badly damaged.
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The Tigard Police Department released a statement saying that the woman was arrested by the Beaverton Police Department on charges of DUII, reckless driving, reckless endangering, reckless endangerment of a highway worker, and criminal mischief in the second degree.
The original driver also ended up under arrest for DUII, reckless driving, and recklessly endangering a highway worker. Thankfully, neither he nor any of the emergency workers on site ended up with injuries either. That’s not always the case in incidents like this one.
Roadside accidents are one of the most lethal kinds when it comes to the safety of emergency workers like police and firefighters. The NHTSA launched a campaign last year called “Slow Down Move Over” specifically to help curtail the innate danger involved with stopping a vehicle on the highway.