The lives of two Lawrence Police officers and a civilian may have been saved early Friday because of the way a patrol car was parked when it was struck by another vehicle.
"Nothing was broken but they received bumps, scrapes and bruises," police spokesman Sgt. Mike Pattrick said. "It could have been worse."
Four people were transported by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital after the accident occurred about 3:20 a.m. in the 2100 block of Haskell Avenue, Pattrick said. All were treated and released.
The fourth person injured was the driver of a 1993 Ford Taurus, identified by police as Tyson Kelly, 22, Lawrence. The Taurus struck the back of the unmarked police car, a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice, police said.
Moments earlier the officers had stopped a southbound 1996 GMC Yukon because it did not have brake lights, Pattrick said. The driver of the Yukon was identified by police as Derek Coleman, 24, Lawrence.
As they are trained to do, the officers parked their car behind the Yukon at an angle, Pattrick said. The car was unmarked but it had flashing police lights on the rear and front and a red light hanging inside the front windshield, Pattrick said. The lights were on during the stop, he said.
The two officers, who wore uniforms, were identified as Chris Mann, 25, and Rob Murry, 26. At the moment of collision, Mann was walking with Coleman between the Yukon and the police car toward the side of the street.
The force of the collision knocked the police car into Mann, bouncing him off of the back of the Yukon and to the side of the road, Pattrick said. Coleman also was struck and landed on the hood of the police car before rolling to the opposite side of the road.
Murry, who was at the driver's door of the Yukon partly inside the vehicle and was thrown out by the collision, landed on the ground. He was able to recover and go to the Taurus to detain Kelly, Pattrick said. Mann was able to call for help over the police radio, Pattrick said.
The angle at which the patrol car was parked kept it from pinning Mann and Coleman against the Yukon, Pattrick said.
No arrests were made after the accident. Police were continuing to investigate, including the possibility that alcohol was a factor, Pattrick said.
The officers, who were sent home after their release from the hospital, are recovering, Pattrick said.
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