Indio K-9 officer hurt during suspected DUI Crash

 INDIO, Calif. (City News Service) -An Indio police K-9 officer was recovering after suffering significant injuries when a suspected impaired driver struck a parked patrol vehicle, causing it to hit the officer, authorities said.

The crash was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday at Monroe Street and Avenue 40, according to the Indio Police Department.

A preliminary investigation found the officer was standing outside his patrol vehicle on the passenger side when a Nissan sedan traveling eastbound on Avenue 40 crashed head-on into the parked unit, police said.

The impact pushed the patrol vehicle into the officer, knocking him to the ground. Nearby residents who heard the collision rushed to assist both the officer and the driver, police said.

The officer sustained significant leg injuries and was found about 30 feet from his vehicle when additional officers arrived, police said. He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he was treated and later released. His K-9 partner, Hoki, was not injured.

The driver, identified only as a 28-year-old woman, was unhurt and remained at the scene, police said.    She was taken into custody by California Highway Patrol officers and later booked into the Benoit Detention Center in Indio, authorities said.

The intersection was temporarily closed during the investigation and reopened shortly after midnight.  The cause of the crash was under investigation, and DUI was suspected to be a contributing factor, police said.

Anyone with additional information regarding the crash was asked to contact the CHP Indio station at 760-772-5300.