A Vancouver police officer has been unable to return to the force after being struck by a distracted ‘L’ driver during a recent traffic stop.
The officer was writing a distracted driving ticket for another driver along the McGill Street on-ramp to Highway 1, near the Second Narrows Bridge, on Sept. 23.
Dash cam footage taken by a witness and released to the public Wednesday shows the moment of impact.
The officer and his police car – unmarked, but with its emergency lights flashing – are pulled over on the right shoulder when a grey Mazda comes up from behind, veers over, and smashes right into the back of the police car.
Police said the driver, a 47-year-old man with his learner’s licence, wasn’t paying attention.
“Please drive with care and keep your eyes on the road,” Vancouver police tweeted.
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Sgt. Aaron Roed told Black Press Media in an email that the injured officer has not returned to work. The drivers of the other vehicles were not hurt.
“Unfortunately, this is the type of unsafe driving behaviour that we continue to see on the roads,” Roed said.
The ‘L’ driver received multiple fines, including a $368 ticket for driving without due care and attention, a $109 ticket for disobeying driver’s licence restrictions, and another $109 for failing to display the ‘L’ magnet on his vehicle.
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