While driving to back up a fellow University of Utah police officer, Patrol Officer Garth Smith crashed into a civilian car Thursday night.
Apart from some bumps and bruises, Smith was not injured. The woman driving the other car received injuries in the pelvic area.
Eric Ward, a U senior studying stage management, witnessed the event.
Around 11:30 p.m., Ward was stopped at a red light at about 1900 South and Foothill Boulevard. He said he saw the U police car turn his lights on, go through the red light and turn his lights off once he?d cleared the intersection. Ward said he saw the police vehicle collide into someone turning onto the street, then flip over. Ward called 911.
According to U Police Department Chief Ben Lemmon, at about 1750 So. Foothill Boulevard, a car came from a side street, crossed over the median and into the inside lane. The police car struck its right rear panel, pushing the car into a steel pole.
The police car flipped over, and its air bag inflated, ?which is probably what saved his life,? Lemmon said. The officer had his lights on the whole time, he said.
Smith was responding to the call for backup from another UUPD officer. While patrolling campus, the other officer saw what appeared to be an impaired and possibly drunken driver, Lemmon said. The officer followed the car.
?If we see something that?s unusual, we don?t really have probable cause to stop a car immediately. We have to have reasonable proof,? Lemmon said.
The officer followed the car, stopping him at about 1800 So. Foothill Boulevard. Police protocol dictates that, when one officer stops a car at night, for safety reasons, dispatch sends backup. Smith was responding to the call.
?Our department feels very relieved that both the officer and the young lady survived the accident, even though the lady received some injuries,? Lemmon said. ?It was a great relief to us to know that she is safe now and that she survived the accident.?
Off duty since the accident, Smith will return to work ?when he feels comfortable,? Lemmon said.