Pennsylvania officer, pedestrian, recovering after pursuit crash

On Behalf of | May 1, 2013 | Government Workers' Compensation

We expect a lot from the men and women we put on the streets to protect our public safety. Police and firefighters are considered essential for maintaining the security of our communities across Pennsylvania.

In many instances, especially where firefighters are concerned, the service performed is carried out by volunteers. These are individuals who offer up their time and talents and put themselves at risk out of a sense of community service. Even in the case of the police, there are often ranks of auxiliary officers who step up and help when called upon. 

If ever someone ends up getting hurt while in the performance of their duties, whether they are full time or volunteers, the hope is that they will not be left hanging without proper benefits under workers’ compensation or some other coverage.

It’s possible that these are thoughts that are on the minds of some in the Harrisburg area after a recent high speed chase involving a police officer and a suspect in an SUV. The suspect in the case was eventually caught and is in custody. But the police officer and a pedestrian who surely became an unwitting player in the events are now hospitalized with critical injuries.

According to authorities, the officer was giving chase to the driver in the SUV a couple of Saturdays back at about 6:30 p.m. For reasons that haven’t been made clear, the officer’s vehicle went out of control, crashed and flipped over on its roof. The pedestrian, a woman, happened to be in the path of the squad car when it crashed.

At the time this post is written, both the officer and the pedestrian were believed to be recuperating in the hospital.

Source: WHTM-TV, “Pa. officer, pedestrian injured in SUV pursuit,” Associated Press, April 21, 2013

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