Two taken to hospital after police car crashes in heavy rain
Last updated at 12:32 AM on 13th June 2011
Two people have been taken to hospital after a police car collided with another car.
Witnesses said the patrol car was on a 999 call in heavy rain when the incident happened on the A64 York Road at Seacroft, Leeds, earlier today.
The civilian car - a Skoda Private Hire car - was so damaged the front was barely intact after the impact, while the marked West Yorkshire police car was left with a crumpled bonnet and came to rest in a central reservation at a busy junction.
The Skoda is a write off after the collision, the impact almost completely crumpling its bonnet
The marked police car came to rest at a reservation in a guided bus lane
Two helicopters were seen dealing with the incident, including a police aircraft, while fire engines and ambulances were also called.
The Vauxhall Astra was travelling towards Leeds when it collided with the Skoda at the junction, and then span into sets of traffic lights before coming to rest in a guided bus lane, according to reports.
Eyewitness Tracey Baxter, 39, said: 'We arrived just after it happened, we heard a huge crash.
'I ran down and someone was lying on the road, not moving.
'It looked terrible. The police station is only 200 yards away and lots of other police vans and cars were here in seconds, they were trying to help the person in the road and the police officers in the car, someone was shouting "get the fire brigade quick".
Two helicopters and all the emergency services were called to deal with the incident
'It was just so quiet you could tell something terrible had just happened, the weather was terrible - it was raining so hard it was bouncing off the road and you could hardly see.'
A spokesman for police confirmed two people had been taken to hospital after the crash at 1.30pm today.
She said one was a police officer, while the other was from the Skoda Octavia. Neither was believed to have life-threatening injuries, she said.
She added: 'Officers are at the scene conducting investigations.
'At the moment the traffic heading north out of the city on the A64 is down to one lane only and traffic heading south into the city is being turned around at Killingbeck roundabout outside Killingbeck police station.
'Local diversions are in place causing disruption to traffic. People are advised to use an alternative route where possible.'
She added the force's standards department were aware of the incident.
A spokesman for the area's fire and rescue service confirmed they were called out to the incident, sending three appliances, but no one was trapped.
Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact West Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060606.
Source; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ds-newsxml
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