Scene of hit-and-run incident that injured V.I.P.D. officer during the nighttime of Saturday, July 30, 2022. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ST. CROIX — A V.I.P.D. officer who was responding to a traffic accident Saturday night was struck by an oncoming pickup truck, with the impact of the hit-and-run sending the officer 85 feet away and leaving him with a broken leg.
According to V.I.P.D. Director of Communications Glen Dratte, the police department's Traffic Investigation Bureau dispatched officers at about 11:19 p.m. to the Queen Mary Highway in the vicinity of the St. Croix Educational Complex to investigate the incident.
Upon officers' arrival to the scene, they conducted a preliminary investigation which revealed that officers from the Wilbur Francis Command Police Station had just arrived in the area to investigate a two-vehicle automobile collision.
According to the V.I.P.D., the officers had their marked police unit at a stop in the roadway with the blue lights flashing to slow down the traffic and make the scene safe to begin the investigation. However, while one of the officers was directing motorists to slow down as they approach the collision area, this officer observed a red pickup truck heading eastbound toward him at a high rate of speed.
The officer then began signaling the driver by waving his hands in an effort to slow the driver down. However, when the officer realized that the vehicle was not slowing down, he moved out the way and onto the shoulder of the road to avoid being struck by the vehicle. The driver, however, who police say did not have control of his the vehicle, struck the officer.
The officer was thrown into the air and landed approximately 85 feet from the area of impact, eastward into the bushes on the northern shoulder of the eastbound lane, according to the V.I.P.D. He sustained a broken leg and was transported by an ambulance to the Juan F. Luis Hospital for treatment.
There is no information on the driver or the vehicle currently, according to Mr. Dratte. It was unclear as to whether officers gave chase to the red pickup truck.
This case is under investigation by the Traffic Investigation Bureau. The TIB is asking anyone with information about this hit-and-run incident to call (340) 778 2211, (340)227 0184, Crime Stoppers 1800 222 Tips or 911.
