Dashcam shows head-on collision involving Wisconsin police cruiser

MIDDLETON, Wis. (WMTV/Gray News) - Police in Wisconsin have released a dashcam video that shows the moments that led up to a head-on collision involving a police cruiser.

WMTV reports the Middleton Police Department said a patrol officer and a dispatcher were hurt in a Feb. 15 collision and taken to the hospital for treatment. They both had minor injuries and were released.

The police department described the video as “yet another reminder of the dangers of operating while intoxicated,” noting that this was the fifth cruiser involved in a collision with someone subsequently arrested for driving under the influence.

In this instance, a 26-year-old man was charged with operating while intoxicated, operating while left of center and operating after revocation.

The video shows a Mazda sedan traveling in the wrong direction on a four-lane road. As the vehicle approached the police cruiser, the audio indicates the officer activated the siren in an ultimately unsuccessful bid to get the driver’s attention and avoid a collision.

The Dane County Sheriff’s Office had taken over the investigation into the crash.

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