Five police officers from the St. Louis area, a K-9 officer, and a young child were injured in the early morning hours of Wednesday after a four-car accident on Interstate 70 in Maryland Heights. All of them were hospitalized with various injuries.
The accident occurred on the eastbound lane of I-70 just west of 270 around 1:45 a.m. The driver responsible for the accident, 31-year-old Matthew Jones, is in custody on suspicion of driving under the influence and faces several serious charges, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A spokesperson for the MSHP said that Lake St. Louis Police units were on the scene after a previous pursuit. Numerous officers stopped after responding to the pursuit and were then hit while finishing up some follow-up work.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol accident report, prior to the crash, three vehicles were stopped along the eastbound lanes of the highway and activated their emergency lights in the midst of their responses to the pursuit. A highway patrol spokesperson said that four officers were struck and taken to hospitals by ambulance.
Two of the responding officers were out of their patrol car. Meanwhile, the driver responsible for the accident allegedly “failed to maintain a proper lookout” and struck the back of a patrol car, according to the MSHP accident report. The struck car then spun counterclockwise, hitting two other patrol cars and two officers who were outside of their vehicles. One driver was ejected from a vehicle.
The officers injured in the accident are believed to be between 26 and 34 years old, according to the accident report. The MSHP told FOX 2 that their injuries are described as moderate to serious. A Lake St. Louis Police K-9 dog was also taken to an animal hospital for evaluation.
The MSHP explained that three of the injured officers are from the Lake St. Louis Police, and at least one is from the St. Charles County Police. However, a spokesperson for the St. Charles County Police told FOX 2 that two officers from that department were involved and both have minor injuries. Both have been discharged from the hospital.
Investigators say Jones was driving a 2014 Jeep Cherokee during the accident with his 2-year-old son inside. The child was also hospitalized with minor injuries.
The MSHP told the Lake St. Louis Police Department that Jones has been charged with driving under the influence, endangering a child, driving while suspended, unlawful use of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, and failing to appear for a court order in the case.
Originally posted at Liga Legal® Abogados
