Distracted Driving Accident Injures a Sandy Springs Police Officer

SANDY SPRINGS, GA - According to a news story published on fox5atlanta.com, the Sandy Springs Police Department is warning drivers to pay attention to the road after an officer was seriously injured in an accident caused by a distracted driver.*  The accident occurred on Thursday night and could have been a lot worse, according to photos taken of the wrecked cruiser.  

The Sandy Springs Police Department posted accident scene photos on the department's Facebook page Friday morning.  The accident scene photos show the officer's police cruiser and the automobile that hit it.

The accident occurred on Interstate 285 West at Roswell Road.  Sandy Springs Police stated that the injured officer was working an accident.  The officer parked along the shoulder of the interstate, and she had her lights turned on.

Fortunately, the Sandy Springs police officer was inside her patrol car at the time of the collision; otherwise, as a pedestrian, she would have likely been killed. 

Sandy Springs police stated that the driver who injured the police officer, a 33-year-old, was texting and driving distracted at the moment of the accident.  The driver said they did not see the "fully visible police vehicle prior to impact."

The driver was issued a citation for distracted driving (using a cellphone while driving), violation of the Georgia move-over law, and failure to maintain a lane. 

The Sandy Police Department stated that this accident serves as an important reminder that when an emergency vehicle (fire, police, HERO unit, EMS) with its emergency lights activated, it is Georgia law to slow down and move over.  The statement also states that if a driver is unable to move over due to dense traffic, the law states that drivers must slow down and pass the emergency vehicle with caution.

The Sandy Police Department stated that the officer was transported to a local area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes. To learn more about our injury prevention programs, please visit iridesafe.com. We hope you are never in a pedestrian accident, but if you or a family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/sandy-springs-police-officer-injured-in-distracted-driving-crash