SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) — Three people, including two police officers, were sent to the hospital following a crash in Southfield Tuesday morning.
It happened just before 8 a.m. on Oct. 8 in the area of 12 Mile and Evergreen, according to Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren.
It was caused by a 16-year-old girl making a left turn from Marimoor Drive onto 12 Mile, according to Barren. As she made the turn, she crashed into the patrol car, pushing it through the center turn lane and into another car.
The two officers and a 58-year-old woman in the third car were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Barren said one officer briefly lost consciousness, while the other suffered cuts to their face.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Barren said the crash was "simply an accident" and called it a "learning lesson" for the teen.
"Things happen. Just like I told the parents, encourage your daughter to be changed by it, because driving, it takes time, it takes practice to get better," Barren said.
He said there is no evidence of distracted driving playing a role in the crash. He stressed that the officers were not responding to a call at the time and were traveling under the posted 45 mph speed limit.
The crash comes a week after two people were killed and two police officers were hospitalized in a crash involving a Warren police car. The families of the victims announced a $100 million lawsuit on Monday.
