Three Officers Hurt When Cruisers Collide Police Responding To Officer’s Call For Assistance Crash, Closing Busy Streets And Knocking Out Traffic Signal

Two police cruisers responding with lights and sirens blaring to an “officer needs assistance call” on Saturday night collided in downtown Spokane, injuring three officers.

An officer who responded to a domestic violence call in east Spokane earlier in the night activated the distress button on his radio, prompting the response from the other cruisers, said police Lt. Jim Nicks.

“Both were operating with emergency equipment and they didn’t hear each other,” Nicks said. “They apparently didn’t see each other soon enough.”

The names of the three officers were not released at press time.

Police said one of the cruisers was traveling south on Howard and the other, which was carrying a second officer, was heading east on Third when they collided. The cruisers came to rest in the southeast corner of the intersection adjacent to McDonald’s. One police car was wedged between a street light pole and traffic signal pole on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.

“There was no brakes, no screeching, no nothing,” said Michael Dowd, who witnessed the accident from his upstairs window seat at McDonald’s.

Witnesses said a third police cruiser, also eastbound on Third Avenue, narrowly missed the accident and continued on to respond to the distress call.

The impact of the accident sent debris flying through the intersection. Broken glass and plastic was scattered into the McDonald’s parking lot. Electrical wires dangled from the pole that had held the signal light, which was resting on the ground near the wrecked cars.

“I could still hear pieces of plastic hitting the street and the (traffic) light was skipping down the street when I got out there,” Dowd said. “(The accident) sounded like two Pepsi cans crunching.”

Antifreeze, steam and a hissing noise poured from the cars as Dowd helped the driver of one of the cruisers to the sidewalk. While Dowd checked on the other officer in the car, the driver of the second cruiser staggered out, he said.

“He looked real messed up so I didn’t even want to mess with him,” Dowd said of the officer in the passenger seat.

Nicks said he expected all three officers to be treated and released from Deaconess Medical Center.

Police closed off the area from Second to Fourth avenues on Howard and as far west as Wall while the department’s accident investigation team sifted through the wreckage.

The domestic situation, which involved a teenager wielding a baseball bat, was resolved without incident.

Police spokesman Dick Cottam said it was uncertain whether the alarm was a real distress call or accidentally tripped.

Although officers try to coordinate their responses, “unfortunately, we don’t always know where it’s all going to connect,” Nicks said.

, DataTimes