An Oil City police officer was injured and a city police cruiser totaled in a crash Wednesday morning involving the cruiser and a boxtruck.
Oil City police said officer Thomas Lawton, 34, was driving the police vehicle south on Route 8 near Oil City at about 8 a.m. when he tried to make a U-turn in an open section of the divided highway, according to a report from Oil City police.
A boxtruck driven by Daniel Wessell, 64, of Seneca, which was traveling south behind the cruiser, struck the back of the police vehicle as it turned, police said.
The police report lists the cause of the crash as Officer Lawton “making improper/careless turn.”
Lawton was transported by ambulance to UPMC Northwest to be treated for injuries of unknown severity, police said. Wessell wasn’t injured, according to police.
The airbags deployed in the cruiser, a 2017 Ford Explorer, which was severely damaged and towed from the scene, police said.
The boxtruck sustained minor damage and was able to be driven from the scene, police said.
Sugarcreek Borough police assisted at the scene, which was in an area at the edges of both agencies’ jurisdictions, Ragon said.
