Two, including an on-duty ESL police officer, hurt in crash

Both an on-duty East St. Louis police officer and another man were hurt Tuesday night when the cars they were driving collided at the intersection of 29th and State streets at around 8 p.m.

It’s not clear what direction the cars were traveling but a white Mercury sedan ended up facing east in the eastbound lanes of State Street while the police cruiser ended up facing northeast in the northeast corner of the intersection, pinned up against a steel light pole and the fence that surrounds the Illinois National Guard’s State Street facility. The cruiser sustained a large dent on its right rear side from the collision with the Mercury and heavy damage on its left side from striking the pole. The Mercury lost its front bumper.

Police at the scene said the officer, who was not identified, was transported to an area hospital. The officer’s condition is unknown. The driver of the other involved vehicle also was transported and his condition is unknown.

It’s not clear whether the officer was in pursuit of another vehicle at the time of the crash and police at the scene did not provide additional details.

Illinois State Police troopers arrived around 9 p.m. to conduct a crash investigation. State Street remained closed in both directions between 28th and 30th streets.

Return to BND.com for more on this developing story.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Two, including an on-duty ESL police officer, hurt in crash."