Perry Police urge motorists to watch for stopped patrol cars after interstate crash

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a police vehicle on the side of the roadway with extensive damage to the left rear bumper. — A responding police vehicle lays damaged after an accident on Interstate 75 Friday afternoon. (Courtesy: Perry Police Department)

PERRY — A series of vehicle accidents on Interstate 75 Friday afternoon led local law enforcement to remind drivers to look for stopped patrol vehicles.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, Perry Police was responding to a crash near mile marker 136 around 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13.

The police vehicle was stopped in the right southbound lane with lights on. While stopped, a Ford LGT Conventional traveled in the right lane on I-75. The driver failed to merge into the center lane, striking the police vehicle’s left rear bumper with its front right bumper.

After the impact, both vehicles traveled and came to uncontrolled rests on the right shoulder of the roadway. The Ford LGT also stuck a guard rail while traveling.

The driver said heavy rain impacted his ability to see the patrol car, but upon further investigation, he was arrested for driving under influence of alcohol.

Perry Police Department Chief Alan Everidge said the responding officers complained of minor injuries from the crash and were treated at Houston Healthcare – Perry. The K-9 assigned to the vehicle was not involved in the accident.

Everidge said a “hero vehicle” with a warning sign was on the scene to alert drivers ahead of time.

“They’re out there for a reason; that’s to try to help prevent these kind of accidents. So, don’t wait to the last minute. Get over if it asks you to get over, because there’s usually a reason behind it: something in the road or an accident, whatever the case may be,” Everidge said.

Everidge said especially during rainy weather, like on Friday, drivers should slow down, put the phone down and avoid distracted driving, no matter how tempting it is to check out the accident or record it later for social media.

“They’re so busy looking at what public safety is investigating that they’re not paying attention to their driving, and they actually drive straight into the responding car or cause another accident themselves. So slow down. Pay attention to what you’re doing. … We’re very fortunate this wreck wasn’t worse than what it is, but it could have easily had significant injuries to the officers and the person that struck them,” Everidge advised.

GSP is still investigating the accident.