The Detroit Free Press
DETROIT, Mich. — A 35-year-old Harper Woods police officer, who responded to a one-car accident on I-94 near Eight Mile, pushed two civilians out of harm’s way before he was struck by a car that swerved to miss the wreckage, police said. Advertisement
Around 3:58 p.m. today, the officer was on the shoulder of the expressway after a driver of a pickup lost control and struck the embankment. The six-year veteran of the force then saw a Ford Tempo heading toward two witnesses by him. He pushed them both out of the Tempo’s path before he was hit in the hip and back by the car, police said.
“It was a very incredible, heroic thing that he did,” Harper Woods Deputy Police Chief James Burke said today.
The officer, whose name is not being immediately released, was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Detroit, where he is listed in temporary serious condition. That condition is expected to be upgraded in the near future, police said.
The driver of the pickup was arrested on suspicion of operating while impaired. He’s being held at the Harper Woods Police Department. Michigan State Police are investigating the second incident and reviewing whether the driver of the Tempo will face any charges, Burke said.
A squad car video captured the events. Harper Woods police declined to release it to the media soon after the crash, citing it’s under review by State Police.
Burke said that the police officer typically patrols Harper Woods on bicycle in the summer months. He served the Detroit Police Department for a couple years before taking a position with the nearby city.
Copyright 2008 The Detroit Free Press