Portland police cruiser struck on I-96 in weekend mishap; officer is fine but vehicle has been sidelined

Jan. 25--PORTLAND -- The Portland Police Department is temporarily short of a patrol vehicle following a crash involving one of its cruisers on Saturday.

The vehicle was struck on westbound I-96 on Saturday while an officer in the car was assisting with a vehicle crash on the highway, said Portland Police Chief Star Thomas.

The officer suffered only minor injuries and returned to work on Wednesday. He was in the vehicle at the time of the crash and was wearing a seat belt.

But the police car didn't come out of it as well, and will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time.

Thomas said the department is waiting for its insurance company to inspect the vehicle before deciding what to do next. The cruiser is a 2015 Ford Explorer.

Describing the damage as "extensive," Thomas said the vehicle had damage to all sides -- not just the passenger side. The door panels were damaged and airbags were deployed, she said.

Portland's police department now has only two vehicles in operation. She said there were five officers Wednesday that had to be in different places.

"It can be very difficult for us to adjust to only having the two vehicles," Thomas said.

The crash took place around 11:30 a.m. on westbound I-96 outside of the Portland city limits. The police vehicle was stationed on the median side of I-96 and was struck by a motorist passing in the far left lane.

"There were a lot of weather-related traffic conditions on Saturday," Thomas said.

The Ionia County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash. Thomas said speed was a factor, because the driver was traveling too fast for conditions at the time.

Thomas advised drivers to pay attention to what's going on around them -- no matter what road conditions are like.

"As always, whether the road conditions are favorable or unfavorable, they need to have 100 percent of their attention on their driving and on their surroundings, and be able to respond to situations that aren't planned, or unexpected events," Thomas said.

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