State Police Officer Injured in Long Island Crash
A New York State Police trooper sustained injuries in a crash with another vehicle on Long Island, according to reports from the law enforcement agency.
The accident reportedly occurred in a residential area at approximately 1:30 p.m. Friday, September 1 in North Amityville, near 45th and Prospect streets. A spokesperson from the state police said the trooper is doing “fine,” but declined to give further information on the extent of his injuries.
Video captured after the incident shows a significant police presence in the area, along with an ambulance and some debris on the street. Reports later surfaced that the officer was involved in some sort of police chase, but the chase suspect escaped the scene. There was no information available on whether the person in the other vehicle suffered injuries in the crash.
When is a police department liable for an accident?
The process of filing a personal injury claim can be challenging if the other driver involved in the accident was a police officer or first responder.
In a typical case, you would need to prove the at-fault party was driving erratically or negligently, and then connect that behavior to your injury. However, police officers engaged in chases with their lights flashing are not subject to the same rules of the road as other motorists. There is a general sense of understanding that, in these cases, officers must drive in an inherently dangerous way to maintain pursuit of a suspect.
Thus, it can be very difficult to prove that an officer or police department acted negligently.
To learn more about what you should do if you’ve been injured in a serious car crash, work with a knowledgeable Long Island personal injury attorney at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia, LLP.