A good deed led a Utah Transit Authority police officer being taken to the hospital after being hit by a car in South Salt Lake Tuesday night.
According to FOX 13, it happened a little before 10 p.m. in the area of 2700 South State Street.
The officer had gotten out of her vehicle to help someone track down their dog running along State Street when the driver of an Audi made a turn onto the street and hit the officer with her car.
Investigators told FOX 13 the driver was going between 30 and 40 mph when she struck the officer.
“She started to walk around the east side, and all of a sudden a black Audi come running around, sliding, and hits her,” Mark Pando, who was sitting on a UTA bench at the time, told FOX 13. “And then she flipped, landed on her back.”
Pando also told FOX 13 that the officer was alert following the accident, but had a bloody nose and complained of chest and lower back pain.
South Salt Lake police responded to the scene, but still don’t know the extent of her injuries. The UTA officer was taken by ambulance to a hospital in critical condition.
“Fortunately, she was conscious and breathing,” Deputy Chief Dwayne Ruth told FOX 13. “But when the human body is struck by a vehicle on State Street, there could be deeper injuries. I hope not.”
Ruth said the driver of the car may have been impaired and was taken into custody for further tests.
Editor’s note: The Salt Lake Tribune and FOX 13 are content-sharing partners.
