COLD LAKE, ALBERTA - A Cold Lake RCMP officer was injured after the cruiser he was driving crashed into a truck early Saturday morning.

The officer was on his way to investigate another motor vehicle collision when he hit a Ford F-150 truck. The police cruiser was heading south on Hwy. 28 at around 8:30 a.m on March 6. The cruiser went to pass the truck but the truck made a left hand turn at the same time.

“The member was responding to another (motor vehicle collision),” said Cpl. Lise Bradette. “The police vehicle had the emergency lights and siren on when the vehicle turned into his path.”

According to police, the driver of the truck did not see or hear the cruiser speeding up behind him. The driver attempted to make a left hand turn into a Ford dealership when the cruiser struck the front end of the truck on the driver’s side. The police cruiser spun around and hit a lamp post before rolling into a ditch and landing right side up in front of the Ford dealership.

The police officer had to be extricated from the vehicle by members of Cold Lake Fire and Rescue. A collision analyst was called to the scene to investigate the accident, which is standard procedure for accidents involving police vehicles.

The officer was transported to the Cold Lake Health Centre for a CT scan test but a doctor was not available to examine the results. He was then sent to Edmonton by ambulance for a doctor to evaluate him and he was released in the early evening. The driver of the truck was not injured. Police said the crash is still under investigation but they do not believe alcohol was a factor.