In Georgia, one officer was killed in the line of duty and another critically injured when their vehicle collided with a utility pole on North Veterans Parkway in Columbus. The 53-year-old man who died was an undercover officer with the Metro Narcotics Task Force and a 32-year veteran of the Columbus police force. According to authorities, both officers were on their way to provide back-up to a third officer who was in pursuit of a suspect in an unrelated incident when the car wreck took place.
The accident occurred when a car pulled into the path of the pursuing officers’ unmarked car in front of B. Merrell’s restaurant on the parkway. Columbus police say that when the officers swerved to miss the encroaching car, they ran off the road and struck the utility pole. According to media sources, Good Samaritans approached the mangled vehicle and found the officers trapped inside but did not try to move them due to the severity of their injuries.
The accident is under investigation. The Russell County sheriff’s deputy who was critically injured in the collision is in the intensive care unit at the medical center.
Law enforcement officials have asked that the communities served by these officers band together to support the families who lost a loved one or had a loved one injured in the crash. The mayor of Columbus has issued a statement attesting to the commitment of the deceased officer to his department and the public he served and the devastating effect the accident has had on all who worked with him.
A fatal car accident takes a terrible toll on all who must pick up the pieces of their lives and carry on after the loss of a loved one due to the negligence of another. Georgia families who have experienced this kind of tragic loss may want to consult an experienced attorney regarding legal remedies that may be available to them, which include seeking recompense for pain and suffering, loss of future income and funeral expenses.
Source: 9 WTVM, “Undercover officer dies after vehicle crash on Veterans Pkwy“, Courtney Smith, July 30, 2013