Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Four-Car Collision Injures Police Officer in Northridge

Five others at the scene were treated and released.

Originally posted at 6:33 p.m. April 20, 2014. Updated at 10:32 p.m. April 20 and 9:04 a.m. April 21, 2104 with new details.

A Los Angeles police officer was undergoing medical testing today after suffering a knee injury when her cruiser collided with a civilian vehicle at an intersection in Northridge in what turned into a four- vehicle accident, police said.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Parthenia Street and Tampa Avenue at 4:40 p.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Rich Brunson of the Los Angeles Police Department's Valley Traffic Division. The officer was responding to an emergency call.

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The cruiser -- its emergency lights flashing and its siren blaring -- was southbound on Tampa en route to the scene of a traffic collision that required an emergency response when it was struck in the intersection by a black Audi A4 sedan heading westbound, said Sgt. William Kelly of the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division. As it spun out, the Audi hit two other vehicles.

Five people were evaluated at the scene and released, but the officer and a 6-year-old girl who had been in the Audi were transported to a hospital, Brunson said, adding that the child complained of pain around the stomach caused by her seatbelt, but she wasn't injured and was later released.

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It appears the officer will be admitted for treatment of a left knee injury after testing is complete, Brunson said.

Witnesses told LAPD traffic detectives that the officer was moving slowly through the intersection with her lights and siren on, waiting for the intersection to clear, when the Audi and the cruiser collided, Brunson said. It appeared the Audi's windows were rolled up and music was playing loudly.

"Music should not be so loud that you cannot hear an emergency vehicle," he said, but he added that there was no  evidence of any criminal activity.

A driver can be cited for failure to yield to an emergency vehicle sounding its siren, and the ongoing investigation will determine whether a citation is issued, Brunson said.

--City News Service


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