Officers block off a part of Sabattus Street after a Lewiston Police car was struck on the side Tuesday night Andree Kehn/Sun Journal file
LEWISTON — A crash on Sabattus Street that left a police cruiser badly damaged earlier in the week was the result of officer error, police said Thursday.
Nobody was hurt in the crash at Sabattus Street and Pond Road. The wreck remains under investigation.
Police said that shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday, the officer was driving on Sabattus Street, responding to an overdose call with lights and sirens on.
“He came to a red light,” said Lewiston police Lt. Derrick St. Laurent. “He didn’t see the driver who had the green light, and the person with the green light didn’t see him.”
The cruiser was t-boned at the intersection, causing heavy damage to both vehicles. Police said the woman driving the car that hit the cruiser was not at fault.
Neither of the drivers names were released Thursday as the investigation continued.
St. Laurent said that although Lewiston police officers drive hundreds of miles per shift, collisions during emergency calls are rare.
“Unfortunately, it does happen,” St. Laurent said. “It’s an accident. It was an honest mistake. We’re just glad that nobody got hurt.”
St. Laurent said police are retrieving video equipment from the mangled cruiser and will be reviewing footage as part of their investigation.
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