Trending Topics

Video: N.H. officer injured after utility pole flies from roadside during crash response

The Amherst police officer was working a crash that disturbed the pole and wire when a truck drove past, hitting the wire and pulling the pole toward the officer

By Joanna Putman
Police1

AMHERST, N.H. — Video shows a bizarre incident where an officer working a crash was injured by part of a utility pole that suddenly flew out of the roadside brush and struck him, WMUR reported.

The Amherst police officer was injured Oct. 10 while responding to a crash, according to the report. The crash had caused utility wires to hang low across the roadway.

Around 9:30 a.m., a truck struck the low-hanging wires, pulling down a broken section of a telephone pole, which then hit the officer, knocking him to the ground.

The officer was transported to a hospital and later released after receiving treatment, according to the report. The truck involved did not remain at the scene, but police were able to identify the owner and driver later in the day.

Amherst Police Chief Anthony Ciampoli stated that the officer’s injuries could have been far worse and emphasized that the incident was avoidable with more caution from drivers, according to the report. Police are considering potential charges in the case.

“Someone neglects to see the entire scene in front of them, and this was 100% avoidable if we’re using common sense and if we have respect for all those on the roadway,” Ciampoli told WMUR.

Trending
The officer, an investigator in the Sanford PD’s Professional Standards unit, was charged with 79 counts of official misconduct, as well as organized fraud
Lexington Officer Kaitlin Crook, 25, was killed in a shooting that also injured her estranged husband, an off-duty firefighter, and her boyfriend, police said
Wellness
Despite needing to undergo dialysis for nine hours every day, Derek Williams said he has been cleared for light-duty work, but Mt. Vernon PD instead sent him a letter of termination
The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act recognizes occupational cancer as a line-of-duty death for public safety officers, clearing the way for expanded federal benefits