One Wauwatosa police officer and three individuals suffered non-life-threatening injuries in two separate car crashes that occurred Dec. 7, raising reminders of Wisconsin’s law requiring drivers to slow down if they can’t move over when approaching emergency vehicles on the road.
Two crashes within one hour of each other led to multiple injuries in Wauwatosa
The first crash occurred following a traffic stop around 6:05 p.m. in the 2700 block of North Mayfair Road, according to a news release the Wauwatosa Police Department published on Facebook.
With the squad car’s emergency lights activated, an officer stopped a vehicle for not displaying license plates. A ride-share vehicle rear-ended the squad car during the traffic stop and rolled onto its side as it came to a stop, the release said.
The ride-share vehicle’s driver didn’t report any injuries, but two passengers were transported by ambulance to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. While the police officer did not report any injuries, the squad car “sustained significant damage,” police said in the release.
Fire department personnel evaluated the originally stopped driver on scene; the news release did not specify any injuries.
Then, in a separate call around 6:55 p.m., officers responded to reports of a single-vehicle crash involving a car that hit a light pole in the median near West Bluemound Road and North 121st Street. Officers arrested the driver for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
Just as in the first incident, the responding squad car’s emergency lights were activated while the officer responded to the scene.
As the officers helped the arrested driver into the back of the squad car around 7:25 p.m., a passing vehicle struck one of the officers and the arrested person.
The arrested individual was transported by ambulance to a hospital for an ankle injury and the officer was also transported by ambulance to a hospital for evaluation and was released a few hours later.
According to police, the driver of the striking vehicle appeared distracted and didn’t see the emergency vehicles soon enough to move over safely. The driver remained on scene and cooperated with the investigation.
Both crashes remain under investigation, according to the police news release.
Two Wauwatosa crashes in one night give a reminder on Wisconsin’s Move Over Law
Both crashes involved drivers who weren’t initially involved in the incident police were first on the scene for. That prompted the Wauwatosa Police Department to remind the public of Wisconsin’s Move Over Law, which requires drivers move over into another lane and slow down when approaching an emergency vehicles or police.
“Move over or slow down, it’s the law, and it keeps us and everyone safe,” the Wauwatosa Police Department’s release said.
According to Wisconsin Statutes, vehicles operators should move over and continue driving in that lane until they pass the emergency vehicles. If the operator approaching the emergency vehicles can’t move over, state law requires the operator to slow down, keep at a safe speed and continue traveling at a reduced speed until completely past the emergency vehicles.
“Thank you to the good Samaritans who helped at the scenes of both crashes and to our Fire and EMS partners for their quick response and help treating the injured parties,” the news release said. “Lastly, thank you to the hospital for your thorough care and treatment of our officer and the other injured parties.”
Bridget Fogarty covers Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be contacted at bfogarty@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Two crashes in Tosa led to minor injuries for officer and three others
Reporting by Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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