BLUEFIELD, West Virginia -- A motor vehicle accident involving a Bluefield City Police Department officer resulted in a fatality, officials said early Tuesday morning.
The accident involved two Bluefield Police Department units and a West Virginia State Police cruiser, said First Sgt. R.A. Maddy, district commander of the West Virginia State Police Princeton and Welch detachments.
A Bluefield police officer was killed in the crash, officials said.
The accident shut down traffic in both directions on Princeton Avenue in Bluefield for a time shortly after midnight on Tuesday morning.
The incident left the front of the cruiser mangled and the driver's side of the vehicle resting against a bent guardrail beside the thoroughfare. Debris stretched across both lanes of the roadway.
According to a report on a police scanner frequency at approximately 12:22 a.m., an officer was reported "down" on Princeton Avenue near Giles Street. A voice believed to be that of the officer reported, "I'm injured."
The identity of the injured person was not available from authorities in the early hours of Tuesday morning. A person with his head bandaged was seen standing near the cruiser briefly, accompanied by a law enforcement officer.
The scene included officers from the city police department and the Mercer County sheriff's office, as well as a unit from the Bluefield Fire Department and at least two ambulances.
Two males were observed seated on a sidewalk down the hill from the cruiser with their hands immobilized, surrounded by law enforcement personnel. Their identities were not immediately released.
At approximately 1:08 a.m. on Tuesday, an officer with the West Virginia State Police arrived on scene and appeared to be taking charge of the investigation of the incident.
More information is expected to be released on Tuesday. The latest details will be posted on the Daily Telegraph website.
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