AKRON, Ohio — Four Akron police officers were injured when a car crashed into their marked cruisers while they responded to a disabled vehicle on East Archwood Avenue early Saturday morning, according to the Akron Police Department.
Just before 3 a.m., officers in two marked police cruisers responded to the 1000 block of East Archwood Avenue for a disabled vehicle.
Officers were in the process of towing the vehicle when a second vehicle, a Hyundai Sonata, slammed into the back of one of the police cruisers. The impact of the collision caused the cruiser struck by the Sonata to collide with the police cruiser in front of it.
At the time of the crash, both cruisers had the emergency headlights on, which police said were visible from both directions of the roadway.
According to the release, two of the officers were outside of the patrol car when the crash occurred. At least one of them was struck by the Sonata.
The two other officers were seated inside their cruiser at the time of the crash.
The injured officers were transported to Summa Health Akron City Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Two of the injured officers are 3-year veterans of the department, and the other two officers have been on the job for one month.
The driver of the Sonata was identified as a 45-year-old male who was injured in the crash. He was transported to Summa Health Akron City Hospital where he remains in critical condition.
The Akron Police Department said it’s unknown if drugs or alcohol played a role, but speed appeared to be a contributing factor.
All vehicles involved sustained major damage and were towed from the scene.
The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.
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