Gary Police Officer and Family Injured in Crash with Semi on Ridge Road
A Gary police officer and members of his family were hospitalized Thursday evening after the squad car they were riding in collided with a semi near West Ridge Road and Hendricks Place.
According to Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr., Lake County Sheriff’s Department officers were dispatched just after 6 p.m. on February 19 to a crash with multiple injuries at the Ridge Road intersection.
A preliminary investigation determined the Gary Police SUV was traveling westbound on Ridge Road when a semi tractor-trailer turned north in front of the squad car in an attempt to enter a parking lot along Ridge Road. The two vehicles collided, resulting in injuries to all occupants inside the police SUV.
The 27-year-old Gary police officer and his 3-year-old daughter were treated for facial injuries. The officer’s 4-year-old daughter was transported to a Chicago hospital with eye injuries. A 23-year-old woman seated in the front passenger seat of the squad car sustained multiple injuries, including a broken knee, and was also transported to a hospital in Chicago for treatment. Gary Police Chief Cannon told RNS, “All parties involved have been released from care.”
The driver of the semi, a 41-year-old Hammond man, was not injured in the crash. He was cited for making an improper turn. Authorities confirmed the semi was impounded as part of the ongoing investigation.
Sheriff Martinez said the investigation into the crash remains active.
“As sheriff, I extend my wishes for a full and speedy recovery for this officer and his family,” Martinez said in a statement. “We will continue to keep them in our thoughts as they continue to heal.”
