Police Car Involved in Crash in Ellenville, New York
The serious car accident reportedly sent one officer to the hospital with broken bones and more.
Police in Ellenville have announced that a serious car accident that happened around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night in the village involved one of the police department's vehicles along with a civilian car.
Police-Involved Accident in Ellenville, NY
Police said that as officers arrived on the scene of the accident located at the intersections of Center and Main Streets they witnessed the aftermath of a two-vehicle collision. According to a press release posted on the department's Facebook page, as officers arrived they observed that two vehicles were involved with one laying on its side and the other was an Ellenville Police Department vehicle which still had its emergency light activated.
As officers assessed the accident they located one of their fellow officers Matthew Rodriquez who was found laying on the pavement receiving medical attention. Police also said that the van that was found on its side in the accident had twelve people inside and all 12 of them were found standing outside of the van in good condition. The passengers and the driver of the van were transported by ambulance to the Garnett Medical Center for evaluation.
Ellenville Police Officer Seriously Injured in Accident
Officer Matthew Rodriquez was transported to Ellenville Regional Hospital where he was stabilized and received 10 stitches to close a hand wound according to police. Rodriquez was then transferred to Garnett Medical Center where he was scheduled to undergo for some broken bones. Ellenville Police Chief Phillip S Mattracion, who was on the scene of the accident said
"I am eternally thankful that while Officer Rodriquez's injuries are serious, they are not life-threatening and that all of the other passengers of the other vehicle were in good condition."
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Accident Under Investigation
Chief Mattracion also said that once he arrived on the scene of the accident he requested that the Ulster County Sheriff's Office take over the investigation to avoid any appearance of impropriety since his officer was involved,
"The Ulster County Sheriff's Department is taking the lead on this investigation and I will await their final report before I comment any further as to the cause of the accident, or if anyone was ticketed in connection with this event. This agency is conducting a separate internal investigation to determine if the Officer was in compliance with all our policies and procedures while operating his police vehicle."
Once the investigation is completed and its finding are released we will update this article.