Three-vehicle crash involves Federal Way police car

Published 4:32 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Shortly after 9 p.m. Aug. 28, a three-vehicle crash, involving a Federal Way police car, occurred at the intersection of South 320th Street and 21st Street Southwest.

A police vehicle, containing an officer and field training officer, was traveling northbound on 21st Street Southwest, responding to a theft call, when it collided with a vehicle traveling westbound on South 320th Street. A third vehicle traveling westbound then collided with the two other vehicles.

The incident closed northbound 21st Street Southwest for at least one hour. Nobody was seriously injured, but both officers and a motorist in the third car were taken to the hospital for minor injuries, Federal Way Cmdr. Kyle Sumpter said.

Washington State Patrol was called to conduct an investigation of the incident. The officers are not on administrative leave because no serious injuries took place, Sumpter said. The collision will undergo a review process to determine which driver is at fault.

“With every one of our (police involved) crashes we have a review process,” Sumpter said.

He said a red light had to have been ran by one of the motorists for the incident to have occurred. It is not clear which driver ran the light or if the collision was preventable.

An investigation will determine if the incident was preventable on the officers’ behalf.