Philadelphia officer, 3 others hospitalized after police cruiser collides with SUV
Four people were hospitalized overnight, including a Philadelphia Police officer, after the officer's marked vehicle collided with an SUV at the intersection of 5th and Callowhill streets.
According to Chief Inspector Scott Small, the 9th District officer was driving alone to assist with a vehicle investigation near 6th and Market streets when his cruiser and the SUV crashed around 12:30 a.m.
The 34-year-old officer was taken to Jefferson Hospital to be treated for injuries to his head and face, though Small said he was able to walk and talk after the crash.
Of the four people inside the SUV, three people — two male teenagers and a woman in her 20s — were also taken to Jefferson. Police said a fourth male individual inside the car was unhurt.
Because the damage to both the police vehicle and SUV was so extensive, Small said the fire department had to cut the officer out of his car.
"The civilian vehicle with the three occupants that were injured also had to be cut out of the vehicle by the fire department using the jaws of life," he said.
Despite the heavy damage, Small said the officer and three civilians were all considered stable when they went to the hospital.
Small said investigators are unsure if the officer had his lights and sirens activated before the collision and are still working to determine who had the red and the green light at the time of the crash.
He added that police don't know if drugs, alcohol or speed played a role in the crash, or if the driver, who was among the injured, was impaired in any way.