Tennessee: Unoccupied MJPD patrol vehicle struck while responders on Interstate-40 emergency scene

An unoccupied patrol vehicle was struck by another car while officers and firefighters were on the scene of a pickup truck bed fire on Interstate 40 West. Around 4:50 p.m., four police vehicles and one fire engine responded to the 227MM to handle a fire in the bed of a pickup truck.

While an officer was outside of his patrol vehicle and approaching the incident, the patrol vehicle was struck by an out-of-control car around 5:00 p.m. The officer had just exited the patrol vehicle moments before it was struck. After striking the patrol vehicle, the other car left the roadway and stopped approximately 450 feet after impact. The officer and driver of the other car were not harmed during this incident.

By police department policy, a third-party agency must investigate any crash involving a department vehicle. Therefore, the Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to the scene to investigate the crash. The details of the crash will be released by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.