On-duty policeman fighting for life after crash on Cunningham Highway at Warrill View
A police officer and father of three is in an induced coma following a horrific crash southwest of Brisbane on Friday.
Gold Coast
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A police officer and father of three is in an induced coma following a horrific crash on the Cunningham Highway.
Senior Constable Chris Leonard’s police vehicle was involved in a collision with a truck travelling in the same direction as he tried to stop a vehicle at Warrill View, southwest of Brisbane, it is understood.
Senior police declined to go into detail of the incident, which happened about 12.40pm Friday.
Ipswich Superintendent Kylie Rigg said the male senior constable was in a serious condition in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
Senior Constable Leonard works for the highway patrol unit. He was the only person in the vehicle when the crash happened.
Superintendent Rigg said he was in a serious condition when emergency services arrived. A nurse passing by was able to help, she said.
“He comes to work each and every day to keep our community safe, particularly in the road safety space,” she said.
“So it’s quite a sad today that this officer has himself been involved in a traffic crash.
“We have police supporting the officer’s family and of course we support all of the officers here from Ipswich district as we come to terms with the officer’s significant injuries.
“The next few days, the weeks and the months ahead will be a long road and we very much hope he will have a full recovery.”
Superintendent Rigg said the truck driver had minor injuries.
She declined to confirm if the officer was trying to pull over a vehicle.
“I’m not aware that there was anything that the officer was responding to, so far as a job or a call to service is involved,” she said.
Police will see if the officer has dashcam or bodyworn footage as they investigate the incident.
The truck overturned in the crash that shut down all lanes of the busy highway.
Paramedics treated the officer, who was initially trapped in his vehicle, for head injuries.
Multiple Queensland Ambulance crews were on scene, and a rescue helicopter was tasked.
There were also seven Queensland Fire Department crews on hand, using a cutting equipment to retrieve the driver.
Originally published as On-duty policeman fighting for life after crash on Cunningham Highway at Warrill View
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