Two Kansas City Police Officers Injured in Collision

March 11, 2014

One of the two injured officers suffered nine broken ribs, a punctured lung and other injuries Sunday.

A Kansas City police officer suffered nine broken ribs, a punctured lung and other injuries Sunday night when a suspected drunken driver's SUV struck his patrol car.

The officer remained in a hospital Monday, where doctors were evaluating the extent of his injuries. An officer in the passenger seat suffered minor injuries in the wreck just before 10 p.m. at 43rd Street and the Paseo.

Police arrested the 20-year-old driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe on suspicion of impairment. Investigators said a breath test showed his blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08.

The officers were driving south on Paseo when the northbound driver turned to go west on 43rd. The officer driving the patrol car tried to avoid a collision by braking and veering to the right, but the Tahoe plowed into the driver's side of the patrol car, said Sgt. Bill Mahoney.

The collision knocked the driver of the police car unconscious. Firefighters had to cut him out of the car.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service