July 8, 2023 8:30p
From Caledonia Police:
On 07/08/2023, at about 2:42 pm, a Caledonia Police Officer was involved in a motor vehicle crash at STH 32/Douglas Avenue and Harvest Lane in the Village of Caledonia. As a result of the crash, the marked squad was pushed off the roadway and rolled onto its roof. A fire began in the engine compartment, and the vehicle later became fully engulfed in flames. The officer, with the help of good Samaritans, was able to free himself from the squad before the fire had spread to the passenger compartment of the vehicle.
The officer suffered only minor injuries. He has been with the Department for 6 years.
The other vehicle involved in the crash was a white SUV occupied by an adult female driver and an adult male passenger. Fortunately, no injuries were reported from either person.
Preliminary investigation revealed the Caledonia Police Officer was traveling northbound on STH 32/Douglas Ave attempting to catch up to a vehicle that was traveling approximately 90 mph in a posted 45 mph zone. The officer engaged the emergency lights and siren on his marked squad and attempted to catch up to the violator . Multiple vehicles yielded to the emergency vehicle, and the officer was passing them on the left as they pulled to the right (east) side of the roadway.
As the officer was passing other motorists who had yielded, a white SUV that was northbound on STH 32/Douglas attempted to turn left (west) onto Harvest Ln and into the path of the marked squad. The squad and the SUV collided at this location.
Since a Caledonia Police Officer was involved in the crash, we requested the assistance of the Wisconsin State Patrol. They responded to the scene and are investigating the accident.
We would like to thank the good Samaritans who stopped to help. We are also thankful there were no serious injuries.
If you witnessed the accident, or have any additional information, please call the Caledonia Police Department at (262)835-4423 and ask to speak to Detective Chad Zoltak. If you have additional media inquiries, please contact Lt. Gary Larsen at glarsen@caledonia-wi.gov.
Christopher Botsch
Chief of Police
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