Cop suffers broken bones in crash

The rush to respond to a domestic dispute in a rural St Catherine community resulted in the hospitalisation of a policeman after the vehicle he was driving overturned.

The incident occurred last Thursday in the Glengoffe district of the St Catherine North Police Division. The cop and his colleagues are breathing a sigh of relief as despite his injuries, they are aware that he could have died. Reports are that about 5:15 p.m. the cop, who is a constable, was on duty at the Glengoffe Police Station when he received the report of a domestic dispute in Harkers Hall. He drove off to respond to the call.

While he attempted to negotiate a narrow section of the roadway, the sport utility vehicle that he was driving picked up a skid which caused it to run off the road. The vehicle flipped several times while going over the precipice. The constable suffered a broken shoulder and several broken bones to the left side of his body. He was eventually rescued by residents who managed to remove him from the mangled wreck.

"I am indeed thankful for the residents who rescued me and used a sheet of zinc to move me on to the roadway," the cop said. He said that the residents were so honest and caring that his cellular phone and his wallet, with his cash, were returned.

It's the second near miss by a policeman from the police division this year as on January 3, Sergeant Donovan Barnes suffered injuries after a motorist hit his vehicle. The policeman had to be rescued from his Toyota Probox motor car. The police are still searching for the motorist who did not stop.