Police Officer is Injured in a Newport News Hit-and-Run Wreck

Police officers and state troopers are frequently in dangerous places at hazardous times. Although laws are in place to protect them, they suffer high numbers of injuries. On Saturday night, an officer was hurt in a Newport News hit-and-run wreck, police say.

A report in The Daily Press stated the officer was in a marked police car that was struck from behind by a pickup truck at a red light near Prince Drew Road and Warwick Boulevard at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

The driver of the truck fled the accident scene, according to the police report. The officer who was hit pursued the vehicle for a short distance to the Riverside Regional Medical Center entrance of Warwick Boulevard where the pickup then struck a vehicle driven by a woman.

Newport News police said the female driver was transported by medics to the nearby hospital. Her injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

The police officer was evaluated at the hospital. His injuries were also not considered to be life-threatening.

The adult male driver of the pickup was taken into police custody. Newport News Police Department confirmed he will be charged with DUI and has other pending charges.

The crash blocked a section of road from Warwick and Gatewood Road to the Mariner’s Museum, at the intersection with J. Clyde Morris Boulevard for about two hours.

We were alarmed to read about how this police officer was injured in a Newport News hit-and-run wreck. Given the facts of the incident, it could have been far more serious.

Sadly, every year scores of police officers and first responders are injured on the roads of Virginia. Many drivers still try to flee the scene of an accident, often when they have something to hide such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Last year a police motorcyclist was injured on Dam Neck Road in Virginia Beach following a crash with an SUV.

This winter, a Virginia State Trooper was injured on Interstate 64 at J. Clyde Morris Boulevard in Newport News.

According to reports, the trooper was involved in a wreck while investigating a different accident. He was hit from behind by a driver who failed to slow down for icy conditions, according to media reports.

In some cases, police and troopers pay the ultimate price. Last summer, two state troopers died when their helicopter crashed as they policed the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

If you see a car with flashing blue lights at the side of the road, you should move over a lane or slow down. The same applies to other emergency vehicles and pick-up trucks with orange lights under Virginia’s ‘move-over’ law.

If you have been hurt due to the actions of a hit-and-run driver or another motorist on the Virginia Peninsula or the Southside, please call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at (757) 333-3333.