Police remind drivers to use caution near working emergency vehicles

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — In the last week, two local police officers were hurt in their vehicles while responding to calls.

A Mt. Washington officer was driving with lights and sirens on Tuesday when he was hit by another driver on Highway 44. He was taken to the hospital and is now recovering at home. On Saturday, a Shepherdsville officer was pulled over on a busy stretch of I-65 when he was rear-ended. The back of the cruiser was mangled, and the officer got inside of it just minutes before the crash. He is also expected to be OK

"Drivers should always be aware of their surroundings, but especially when approaching an emergency scene,” Maj. Mike O’Donnell with the Shepherdsville Police Department said. "We were lucky. We were a lot luckier than a lot of other agencies that our officer was able to walk away."

Police say these crashes are a sobering reminder to drive with caution around emergency vehicles.

"When emergency responders are out there trying to do their jobs, we ask everyone to slow down, stop if they can and take special care that you don't become a separate incident,” O’Donnell.

Moving over is not just a suggestion, it's the law. If you see an emergency vehicle pulled over on the side of the road, you have to pull over or at least slow down.

"The more distance you can put between yourself and our personnel that are out there trying to do their job, the safer it is for everyone,” O’Donnell said.