Housing authority officer injured in crash while responding to 911 call

An East St. Louis Housing Authority officer was injured in a vehicle crash while she was responding to a 911 call at the Orr Weathers Housing project Sunday night.

The officer is expected to recover from her injuries, according to Cortez Slack, East St. Louis Housing Authority Public Safety Chief.

Slack said he received a call about the incident at 9:45 p.m. Sunday.

“I was told that an officer was involved in an accident at 16th Street and St. Louis Avenue. We called Illinois State Police out to handle the investigation,” Slack said.

The nature of the original 911 call was not clear.

Slack said police are doing a reconstruction of the accident as part of the investigation.

Illinois State Police Captain Tim Tyler said the car driven by the housing authority officer was traveling north on 16th Street, just southwest of North 16th Street and St. Louis Avenue, which is a well lit intersection with a stop sign.

The housing authority officer was responding to a call of a home invasion at the East St. Louis housing complex when she did not stop or slow for the stop sign, Tyler said.

He said a second car at the intersection on St. Louis Avenue did not have a stop sign and they collided. The officer’s squad car’s passenger side was heavily damaged.

Tyler said the officer reported having her emergency lights and sirens activated .

“She said she drove through the intersection and was struck by another vehicle,” Tyler said, adding she told police she doesn’t remember anything after the crash.

The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash told police he was traveling on St. Louis Avenue when the officer’s squad car “blew through the stop sign” with no attempt to stop. He told police that when the officer noticed his vehicle she activated her lights.

The driver said at that point he had no time to react and slow down.

Slack did not name the female officer who was transported to St. Louis University Hospital, but noted she worked for the housing authority for about one year.

Slack visited her at the hospital following the accident.

“She was stable and responding,” he said. “She was a little sore and shaken up.”

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 11:09 AM.