THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200484
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Metro Briefs
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
Three people were hurt when an unmarked police car and another vehicle collided at an intersection Wednesday night. The officer driving the police car was the most seriously injured.
The wreck occurred at 9:06 p.m. at the intersection of Azalea Garden and Sewells Point roads.
Police spokesman Larry Hill said officer Arnetta Thompson of the youth services division was heading north on Sewells Point and was turning onto southbound Azalea Garden when the unmarked police car she was driving was struck broadside by a Pontiac heading north on Azalea Garden.
There were several witnesses to the accident, one of whom ran to the police car and saw Thompson inside, hurt and unconscious. The citizen, whose name was not available, saw the police radio and grabbed the microphone, telling dispatchers that an officer was down and giving the location.
Hill said the citizen's radio message was the first word police had about the wreck. He praised the individual for responding to the officer's aid.
Police said it appeared that the Pontiac ran a red light before striking the police car. The name of that driver was not released, however, and no charges had been filed late Wednesday.
Thompson was listed in serious condition at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. The driver and a passenger in the Pontiac also were taken to the same hospital for treatment of head injuries. Their conditions were not immediately available, but both were expected to recover.
KEYWORDS: ACCIDENT TRAFFIC NORFOLK POLICE by CNB