OCEAN CITY — Two individuals, including an Ocean City police officer and a civilian, were injured this week when a police vehicle responding to another accident collided with a sedan in the intersection of Coastal Highway and 28th Street on Tuesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, an OCPD officer in a department-owned Chevy Tahoe was heading north on Coastal Highway with its lights and sirens to assist with a reported accident on Route 90. While heading northbound on Coastal Highway, the OCPD vehicle collided with a sedan attempting to cross the highway from east to west at 28th Street. The cause of the collision is still under investigation.
The driver of the sedan had to be extracted from the vehicle, which had its roof and upper portion cut off. The unidentified driver sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening. The victim was transported by Ocean City EMS to PRMC and was later transported to Shock Trauma. As of late Thursday, the victim was listed in stable condition. The OCPD officer was transported to AGH and was treated for minor injuries and later released.
Tuesday’s accident continues a summer-long trend of collisions involving OCPD vehicles. On May 13, an OCPD police cruiser was stopped at a traffic signal on southbound Coastal Highway at 41st Street when it was struck from behind by a motor scooter. The scooter operator was ejected and the officer involved immediately began to render aid. While the scooter operator was wearing a helmet, it became dislodged when he was ejected and he sustained head injuries. The OCPD officer was also injured and was treated at AGH for minor injuries and released.
On May 18, a marked OCPD vehicle with two officers inside was traveling south on Coastal Highway at 84th Street when it was struck from behind by a commercial box truck. The force of the collision caused a chain reaction accident involving at least four vehicles. The two OCPD officers were transported to AGH for treatment of injuries and were later released. The OCPD vehicle sustained a significant amount of damage and was taken out of service.
Finally, on July 20, an OCPD van collided with another vehicle in the intersection of Philadelphia Ave. and 17th Street. At least two accident victims were transported to area hospitals and both vehicles sustained significant damage.